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Frederiel^'A.4iubbard 




Class ,V\f)Af _ 
Book A^5\ \^ 
Copyright N^ 



COPYRIGHT DEPOStn 



OTHER DAYS IN GREENWICH 



LIMITED EDITION 



THIS EDITION IS LIMITED TO 

ONE THOUSAND NUMBERED COPIES 

OF WHICH THIS IS NUMBER: 




01^ 










i -^ 



OTHER DAYS IN 
GREENWICH 

OR 

TALES AND REMINISCENCES OF 
AN OLD NEW ENGLAND TOWN 



15 Y 



FREUERICK A. HUBBARD 




NEW YORK 
J. F. TAPLEY COMPANY 

1913 



Copyright, 1913 
By FREDERICK A. HUBBARD 



J. F. TAPLEY CO. 

NEW TORK 



)CI.A346753 



In my days of boyhood and youth, a running 
mate, as we called him, belonged to every one. 

There was always some congenial spirit, 
who shared confidences, excursions and social 
events, who, in school and out. was a recog- 
nized companion. 

TO 
MY OLD Rt'XXIXc; .MATK 

E. BELCHER MEAD 

THIS VOLrMF. 
IS AFFECTIOXATEL,V DEDICATED 



"T NEVKR learned the tconder of thai Jane, 
Drenched )vifJi the Summer rain, 
Where through nil/ boyisli feci were 7cont to pass, 
Until I left it for the passionate toxcn. 
Marble and iron and brass, 

Filled with all laiii>lit('r; i/ea, and filled, alas. 
With life's immortal pain!" 

Charles Hanson Towne 




FREDERICK A. HUBBARD 

The Author 
Photo by E. Starr Sanford 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

ILiLUSTUATIONS Xlll 

Introduction xvu 

I The Village 1 

II Commercial Greenwich 17 

III The Town 25 

IV The White Bridge 54 

V Banksville and Stanwich 61 

VI The Davis Dock 68 

VII ROCKRIDGE AND DeARFIELD 73 

VIII Theodore H. Mead Farm 86 

IX The Titus Mead Farm 92 

X The Second Congregational Church . 100 
XI The Story of a Street — Greenwich Ave- 
nue 117 

XII War Times 125 

XIII Rev. William H. H. Murray . . . .141 

XIV Along Putnam Avenue 153 

XV The Days of Boss Tweed 161 

XVI William M. Tweed in Greenwich . . .180 

XVII LiNwooD — THE John Romer .... 202 

XVIII The Tweed Family 217 

XIX The Escape of William M. Tweed . . 225 

XX The Old Town Hall 233 

XXI The Lewis and Mason Families . . . 244 

XXII The Old Black Walnut Tree . . . 250 

[xi] 



COMEXTS 



CHAl'TKH 



XXIII K()( KV Xk( K IIIK SiLI.KCK IiOTSF. 

XXI\ Hailuoads IX Tin: Kaiu.v Days . 

XX^' HivKusiDK AND Sorxi) Hkacii 

XXA'I The Octagon House 

XX\"II The Old Mile at Stoxvhkookh 

XX\'III The Old Mill at Davis Laxdixg . 

XXIX The Axciext Highways 

XXX Belle Havex 

IXDEX 



256 
266 
280 
286 
291 
299 
306 
322 
331 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

Banks vi lie Stage Frontispiece 

PAGE 

P'rederick A. Hubbard ix 

Daniel S. Mead '^ 

D. Smith Mead Driving Cows to Pasture 5 

S. Merwin Mead Homestead 6 

S. ]\Ierwin Mead 7 

Alvan Mead 8 

Luther Prescott Hubbai-d 9 

L. P. Hubbard Homestead 11 

Stephen A. Stoothoff I'i 

Zaccheus Mead Lane 13 

Deep Hole l.*! 

Post Office, 1859 18 

Post Office, 1861 19 

Joseph E. Brush 20 

John Dayton 21 

First Business Building Erected on Greenwich Avenue. IS.Vi- ^^ 

Abraham Reynolds 26 

Captain Caleb Holmes 26 

Augustus X. Reynolds 27 

Stephen L. Radford 28 

Jonas Mead Homestead 29 

Milo Mead ."() 

Deacon Jonas Mead '51 

Windsor Chair used by Deacon Jonas Mead '52 

John R. Grigg 33 

Judge Augustus ^lead 31 

Homestead of Augustus Mead in 1859 35 

Squire Samuel Close 36 

Oliver Mead Homestead 39 

Miss Sally Mead H 

Oliver Mead 12 

Pottery made by Deacon Abraham Mead, 1790 .... 13 

The White Bridge, 1861 55 

Church at Banksville 62 

The Stanwich Church, Shubel Brush Homestead . . . . QS 

William Brush Homestead 64 

Old Inn at Stanwich 67 

[xiii] 



LIST OF ILLL STKATIONS 



1'ac;e 

"Dcarfifld's" TIios. A. .Mc.ul I [i»in(stta<l 74 

Tlionias A. Mead 7.^ 

Zaecheus Mead Homestead 77 

Zaceheus Mead 2nd 79 

Xatliaiiiel Witherell 81 

Buttermilk Falls 91 

Titus Mead Homestead 93 

Mrs. Luey Mumford Mead 94 

Putnam C'ottagi' 9.'5 

Solomon Mead 97 

Robert Williams Mead 101 

Second Congregational Church in 1879 103 

Insets: Rev. Dr. Joel H. Linsley 

Rev. Dr. Frederick G. Clark 
Rev. Dr. George A. Gordon 
Early Church Buildings 113 

Inset: Rev. Joel Mann 

Rockefeller Park in 1860 116 

Henry M. Benedict 119 

Shadrach M. Brush 121 

Captain W. L. Lyon 123 

Elnathan Husted* 126 

Alvord Peck 126 

Isaac L. Mead 
Corporal William Bird 
A\'illiam Purdy 
Serg. Caleb Holmes 

John Bush Matthews 129 

James Gerald 129 

Major D. M. Mead . 130 

iJeut. Thomas R. Mead 
Henry H. Mead 
Silas *E. Mead 
Lieut. David W. Mead 
William Morrison 

L. P. Hubbard. Jr. . ^ 133 

William Smith 134 

Lyman IMead 134 

Captain Selleck L. White 
Corporal Alexander Ferris 
I>ieut. W. L. Savage 
Serg. Xorvel Green 
Cor))oral Willis H. A\'ile()\' 

James H. Hovt, M.D 137 

fxiv] 



127 



131 



135 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Charles H. Seaman I'^T 

Lieut. Benjamin Wright 138 

Colonel Otis 1.^9 

Serg. William Long 1 1" 

Amos Mead Lvon IK' 

Rev. W. H. H". Murray 1^2 

Thomas Ritch 1 4« 

Mrs. W. H. H. Murray 1 19 

Residence of Beale N. Lewis ISt 

Dr. Wm. G. Peck IT^e 

William M. Tweed 163 

Tweed's Island, 1871 182 

Captain BrinckerhofF 1 8 t 

Americus Club House 18;) 

The Tweed Bath House 189 

Daniel S. Mead. Jr 190 

H. W. R. Hovt, 1869 190 

Judge Heusted W. R. Hoyt 191 

H. W. R. Hoy t at age of 20 19.S 

Philander Button 191. 

Dr. L. P. Jones 195 

Joseph G. Merritt 196 

T. F. Secor 206 

Ca])tain Thoinas Mayo 207 

Sanford Mead 208 

Stephen G. White 209 

Frank Shepard 220 

James Elphick 230 

Town Hall 234 

George J. Smith 235 

Town Hall in 1878 236 

Robert M. Bruce 237 

Amos M. Brush 241 

Miss Sarah Lewis 247 

Dr. Darius Mead 248 

Sackett Homestead 251 

Reserved Lot in 1876, Ephraim Read Homestead and MarbU' 

House 261 

Jolm G. Wellstood 264 

Locomotive No. 27 267 

Moses Cristy 268 

New York Terminals of the New Haven and Harlem Rail- 
roads in 1848 and 1871 271 

Greenwich R. R. Station. 1859 273 

William H. Wallace at age of 16 275 



LIST OF ILIJ STUATIONS 



Charles H. Wrii-lit at 'J 1 . 

William H. \\'allaci' as Assistant Supi-rintt 

K. H 

Looking down the Harl:or in 1859 
Luke A. Lockwood .... 
Amasa A. iSLarks .... 
Tiic Octagon House .... 

Brusli Kna])|) 

The Old Mill at Stonybrooke 
Inset: Edmund iNIead 1st 
Edmund Mead 2nd 
Lower Falls. Stonybrooke . 
Sna]isliots at Stonybrooke . 
The Old :Mill at Davis Landing. 1868 

A^'oodse}' Road 

Round Hill Woodshed .... 

Isaac Howe Mead 

Charles Mead 

Edward Mead 

Edward ^lead Homestead . 

Joseph Brush 

Joseph Brush Homestead 

Hollv Inn, Cos Cob 

Falls near the Old Rolling :\Iill . 
Elkanah Mead Homestead . 

Elkanah Mead 

Church at North Greenwich 

Odle C. Knapp 

Nelson Bush 

Nelson Bush Homestead 



t New 



H,- 



PAGE 

276 

277 
279 
282 
28.'3 
287 
289 



293 
295 
297 
301 
307 
308 
309 
310 
311 
311 
312 
313 
31 i 
315 
316 
317 
319 
320 
323 
329 



|x.i] 



INTRODUCTION 

This volume is not a liistory. It is a collection of 
personal reminiscences and a few stories of local in- 
terest, told to the author years ago. They all relate 
to the Town of Greenwich. Connecticut, wliere the 
author has resided since 18.59. 

He came to that town at the age of seven. All 
the impressive scenes of the war of '61 -'65 are firmly 
fixed in his memory. A hoy of that age is every- 
where; he sees and hears everything and he never 
forgets. 

The records of the town have always ])een a de- 
light: those quaint old hooks that contain so many 
suggestions of other days. And when, years ago, 
the old men told stories of local events long past, 
thxy were treasured and often verified with particu- 
lar dates and names. 

Names and dates herein contained are believed to 
be correct. Certainly the dates are, as in no instance 
has a date been given until accuracy was first assured. 
The book is intensely personal. In some respects it 
may be deemed to be trivial. If it were a history — 
staid and dignified — that criticism might be just. 
But Daniel JNIerritt Mead and Spencer P. INIead are 
the local historians and they have done their work 
well. 

The province of this volume is to deal with families 

[xvii] 



INTRODUCTION 

and their home farms. Great farms that raised so 
many potatoes, years ago, that the towi; eontrolled 
tlie New York market afterwards beeame residence 
parks. Their improvement bronght great wealth; 
new streets were laid out and from a quiet rural coni- 
munitj^ Greenwich became a lively city suburb. 

How tliis liap])ened and when is told Iiei'ein. 

The photographs are included because it is believed 
tliey will be of interest. No payment for their in- 
sertion has been exacted, except the actual cost of 
the plate. ]\Iany dollars would have been paid for 
others could they have been obtained. 

It has taken twenty-two years to gather the 
material for this book and now that the work is done 
the task is laid aside only with a feeling of regret. 

It has been pleasant to read and talk of the other 
days; to imagine how some of the characters looked; 
of what their home life consisted; how conscientious 
and careful they were and to realize that in many 
cases, notwithstanding their restricted environment, 
they ])uilded ])etter than they knew. 

Greenwich, May 1, 1913. 



[xviii] 



OTHER DAYS IN 
GREENWICH 



CHAPTER I 

THE TILLAGE 

'l^T HAT is now the Borough, with a fringe of out- 
▼ ▼ lying territory, consisted in 1859 of farms. 
The Thomas A. ^Nlead and Zaccheus :\read farms, 
comprising over three hundred acres, lay to the west 
and northwest of the village center. Abraham B. 
Davis' farm lay to the southwest and the farms of 
D. Smith :Mead, Silas JNIerwin Mead and Dr. Theo- 
dore L. ]Mason were in the center, while the Phil- 
ander Button, Theodore H. Mead and Titus :Mead 
farms lay to the northeast and east. 

These farms were profitable and were managed 
with all the skill which had been handed down from 
generation to generation of practical farmers. Per- 
haps ^Ir. Button and Dr. ]\Iason should be excepted 
as their occupations were teaching and the practice 
of medicine, farming being merely an incident. But 
the others were in every sense of the word farmers 
and they were good farmers, devoting their energy 
and judgment to tilling their productive acres to 

[1] 



OTllKli DAYS IX CaiEKNWICH 

the best advantage. It is less tlian tliirty years ago 
that CoK Mead's faiiii hai'iis stood where Judge 
James F. ^^^alsh^s house now stands at 111 AVest 
Putnani Avenue. 

C'oL Thomas, as he was ealled for sliort, owned a 
famous lierd of veHow eows and his ox barn eon- 
tained several yoke of sleek oxen. The farm was 
known as Dearfields to whieh 1 have devoted another 
eha])ter. 

The Abraham B. Davis farm adjoined C'ol. Mead's 
farm on the south. lie was eommonly ealled Benson 
Davis. He was a native of the town, his birthplace 
being at Davis I^^anding where the old tide mill was 
operated so many years and with his brother. Silas, 
went to Xew York \vhere he made a fortune in the 
flour ])usiness. 

In. the eighteenth eentury tiie farm had belonged 
to AYilliam Bush. He came to (Treenwieh from 
New York about 1750. He was a young man of 
wealth, the only son of a retired shipping merchant. 
It is said that his sh(^e buckles were of the finest 
wrought silver and his small clothes were of the 
chs^icest silk. He had the swiftest horses, the finest 
oxen and the greatest lierd of sheep and his acres 
were broad and fertile. The house he built was the 
talk of the town and u]}on his death, January 8. ISO'i, 
his will disposed of a large estate. He left an only 
daughter, Bel ecca, wIk) became the wife of John. R. 
Cozine, from whom she obtained a divorce en- 
abling her to convey her land as a single woman. 

[2] 




s^'c^M.!^^-^ ^?-^5^^^t^ 



THE VILLAGE 

She sold the farm to the Davises and on ^lay T. 18.58, 
Abraham B. acquired from the others a complete 
title to the thirty acres. 

I recall an antiquated colonial farmhouse that 
stood west of the present so-called Green Court Inn, 



I 

I ! 1^ 




D. SMITH MEAD 

During the last years of his life he daily drove his cows to pasture 

in the manner shown 

which had been the homestead of William Bush be- 
fore and during the war of the Revolution, 

As Abraham B, Davis grew rich he desired a bet- 
ter house and about 1869, under the supervision of 
Samuel Adams, the old house was removed and the 
present one, known as the Green Court Inn, erected. 

[5] 



OTHER DAYS IX C^RKEXWICII 

Here lie lived siniinier and winter ^"oin**' to Xew 
York daily until his death Fehruary 4. 1871). 

After the death of the widow. Eleanor H. Davis, 
^^•ll() had aeciuii'ed the farm hy a will that was stnb- 
hoi'nly eontested for many months hy Mr. Davis' 
hrotheis and sisters. Henry B. ^larshall purchased 
the farm. 

The farm of Daniel Smith Mead was ])i'etty much 




S. .\li:i{\\L\ MEAD H().M1-:STKAD 
Built 1809 

all ill the village. It consisted of about one hundred 
and sixty acres including eleven acres now occupied 
hy the Havemeyer School. It extended east to 
Davis Avenue, then called I^ove Eane and south to 
the railroad. It was a jjortion of a great tract of 
land that in the middle of the eighteenth century had 
l)elon«>e(l to Daniel Smith, the father-in.-law of 
Daniel Smith Mead and foi- whom his son was 
named. D. Smith ^Nlead. the grandson, lived in a 
house huilt manv vears ago hut in 1870. when the de- 



THE VILLAGE 



sire for tlie ^Mansard or French roof appeared its 
colonial form was wiped out. 

The house still stands at Xo. 359 Greenwich Ave- 
nue and is owned hy the family. The otlier part be- 
longed to Silas jNlerwin INIead, a l)rother of 1). Smith 
]Mead, the second. 

Merwin JNIead, as he was generally called, lived in 
the house at No. 263 
Greenwich Avenue now 
owned by Dr. AVilliam 
Burke. This liouse was 
built in 1809. The Mer- 
win IMead farm extended 
nortli from his brother's 
farm along Greenwich 
Avenue and across to Da- 
vis Avenue. It was ]Mer- 
win 3Iead wlio laid out s. merwin mead 

Elm Street and about the year 18.38 planted the 
elm trees that afterward suggested the name it 
bears. He was one of the most public spirited of the 
older generation. The streets tliat were laid out 
through his farm represented liis contribution to the 
public improvement and h.e never asked for land 
damages. 

The tract north, of Ehn Street belonoed to Edwin 
^lead, a brother, wdio with Aaron AVoolsey, of Bed- 
ford, X. Y., as a partner, divided the land into half 
acre plots then considered small and disposed of them 
to William Tiers, Isaac Weed and others. Mr. 

[7] 




OTHER DAVS IX (iUKKXWKH 

Tiers lived where the Cramer huildiiii'' now stands 
and INIr. AVeed lived where tlie library is loeated. 
What is now Roekefeller Park belon<jed to Henry 
M. Benedict, Brush Knapp and Alvan INIead. 




ALVAX MEAD 
1795-1883 

These men owned contiguous property amounting 
to nearly one hundred and fifty acres, devoted to 
cultivation and containing two fine apple orchards. 

Occasionally may be seen along Lincoln or I^ex- 
ington Avenues the stump of an old tree and it is 
possible that in some of the back vards of the nu- 

[8] 




1808-1894 



THE VILLAGE 

merous cottages tliat now occupy this territory may he 
found a fruitful apple tree, a relic of one of the old 
orchards. 

To me this tract is particularly interesting because 
in my boyhood daj^s it constituted my trapping and 
hunting ground. 




L. p. HUBBARD HOMESTEAD 

Purchased in IS.jt) with savings accumuhited by tlie non use of tobacco 

jNIy home from 1859 to 1883 was the house now 
owned by Dr. E. O. Parker at Xo. 68 East Putnam 
Avenue. 

In the early days when the farms of wliich I have 
spoken were devoted to the business of agriculture, 
there were few trees to obstruct the view and from 
any portion of my father's home place the Sound was 
visible for manv miles. Ancient stone walls divided 

[11] 



OTIIKH DAYS IX (;UKKXUTCII 



the fields tluit abounded in (juail and meadow lark. 
l'ij)in<>' l^i'ook i'a?i full before numerous drains bad 
cut off' its su})i)ly and tbe muskrat and an occasional 
mink contributed to my somewhat limited supply of 
pocket money. 

In winter the snow often drifted over the stone 
walls makino- it j^ossible to coast on the crust over 
much of this extended territory. 

Early in the sixties, 
Henry jM. Benedict, in 
the interest of his children 
and incidentally in his 
boys' playmates, flooded 
a portion of his land for a 
skatino pond. 

Occasionally I walk 
alono' the streets that 
have cut the Benedict 
place in pieces and en- 
deavor to locate some 
of the old haunts so familiar in other days. Re- 
cently in the backyard of one of the newly erected 
houses I found a remnant of the old dam and a little 
further south 1 identified the old buttonwood tree that 
grew near it. jNIr. Benedict was devoted to his boys 
and his dauohter. Belle, now ^Irs. William C. Horn, 
and their wants were seldom denied. 

After the skating ])ond was established it was 
thought necessary to build a small house which was 
warmed bv a wood stove, thus enabling the eliildren 

[12] 




STEPHEN A. STOOTHOFF 

18:^9-1911 



THE VILLAGE 

to put on their skates in comfort. This building 
which was erected by Stephen A. Stoothoff, who did 
all ^Ir. Benedict's work, stood a few rods east of the 




ZACCHEUS MEAD LANE ISCO 



rear line of Frank V. R. Reynolds' house on ]Mason 
Street. 

The chapter on the Octagon house tells of Brush 
Knapp who owned the orchard south of the Benedict 
land. Lincoln Avenue now runs directly through 
it. There are several prominent trees on this one 

[13] 



OTHER DAYS TX GKKEXWrCTT 

liimdi-t'd and fifty acre tract which still live. Xear 
what is now called Putnam Terrace stood an ash tree 
whose trunk was twelve feet in circumference. Tt 
was considered a detriment to the Sound view many 
years ago and was cut down, hut near the home of 
Miss Amelia Knapp may he seen small trees of this 
variety which have sprung from the roots of the par- 
ent tree. Two or three huttonball trees graced the 
landscape but they are all gone exee])t the remains 
of the one near tlie old dam. 

The great oak tree now- on the front lawn of 15. 
Frank Finney, on INIason Street, was a ])o])ular 
shelter for the cows that were pastured in that field 
and the triplet-trunk silver maple on the corner of 
Mason Street and Lexington Avenue looks just as 
it did fifty years ago. 

When the autumn days came all the l)()ys were in- 
terested in nut gathering. The JNIason farm had sev- 
eral fine hickory trees, one of which still stands on 
the front lawn of Frank V. R. Reynolds' place. An- 
other stands in the rear of Dr. J. A. Clark's ])lace on 
INIason Street and the remains of one that was on the 
jNIerwin INIead farm still stands on the corner of JNIa- 
son and Elm Streets. 

Dr. Mason was engaged in the active practice of 
his profession in Brooklyn and his farm was man- 
ao-ed bv Georoe Wellner, whose name I learned 
years afterwards; a good hearted (xerman who nmst 
have emigrated to this country late in life as he 
spoke very broken English. We called him Dutch 

[14] 



THE VILLAGE 

George, having lieard others call him by that name, 
and he never resented it. 

He was inclined to tease us sometimes but always 
acceded to our request for the ])rivilei>e of gather- 




i)i:i:i' iioLK is()() 

ing nuts on the ^Nlason farm. I^onger excursions for 
nuts took us down Zaccheus Mead's lane and to the 
chestnut trees near "Sheep Pen" on the Thomas A. 
]Mead farm. 

It will therefore appear that the one hundred and 
fifty acre parcel I have descril)ed did not include all 
the playground of the boys of those times. It was 
our immediate reservation but frequently we made 
excursions to the east across what is now ^lilbank to 

[1.5] 



OTHER DAYS IX (iKKEWVICH 

Theodore H. JSIead's hi-ook (called the hrook 
"Brothers"), for a swim. 

Then the notion wonld take ii.s in the otiier direc- 
tion across Col. Mead's farm to "Slice]) Pen," a fa- 
mous s\vimmin<4' hole loilii' ayo filled up with sand 
hecause there were no more sheep to wash. Some- 
times we enjoyed a picnic, perched on the rocky sides 
of Deep Hole, a rustic spot that is pi-actically im- 
chan<>ed. Occasionally we walked down liOve I^ane, 
now Davis Avenue, to the old tide mill and under its 
j)rotectint>' shadow undressed and dove from the rocks 
still visihle north of the causeway. 

In those days there was no road across the dam. 
What is now Bruce Park was the Isaac Howe Mead 
farm and hehind a great ledge of rocks, on the west- 
erly side of the pond, long since removed, we felt that 
hathing clothes were quite superfluous. The Davis 
])ond was always popular as a hathing place hecause 
no account need he taken of the tide. At low water 
the gate was down and the pond was full. 



[16] 



CHAPTER II 

COMMERCIAL GREENWICH 

THE preceding chapter has dealt with some of 
the rural parts of Greenwich, hut no allusion 
has heen made to its commercial interests. 

These interests were so insignificant that they are 
mentioned only to make the story of Greenwich com- 
plete. Before and during the war of 1861, it is my 
impression that Newman t^ Hewes of ^lianus, in 
their general store did more business than all others 
combined. 

The Upper Landing, as ^Nlianus is still called, 
was a busy place and from thence most of our farm 
products were shipped. Joseph Brush, at Cos Cob 
also did a large business. 

The village of Greenwich was not without stores 
and although they were called general stores they 
were not conducted like the general store in prosper- 
ous communities at the present time. Remote places 
in New England have such stores to-day as we had 
fifty years ago. 

Putnam Avenue was then called Main Street, the 
successor of the main country road, a name that had 
been used for manv generations. At the corner of 

[17] 



in' 



oTiiKK I)A^'s i\ (;ree\wich 

Fiiiiiam A\ciiiK' and Shci-wood Place, then called 
^Mechanic Sti'cel. was the hiisiness ceiitei- I'oi" a mimlier 
of years. I 'nder President .James Buchanan the post 
office had })een located in what is now known as Dr. 
Frank ^1. Holly's cottage and S([uii-e Samuel Close 
was postmaster. J5ut when President Lincoln was 




roST OFFICE 18.5!) 



elected the office of postmaster went to .Joseph K. 
Brush and the office, about six feet scpiare, was 
opened In the liuildin*^' now owned and occupied hy 
Frederick Denson. 

Mr. Inrush and later l?rush c^ Wright, I^enjamin 
Wri<rht heintJ' the j)artner, ran a general store. 
Thev kept everything hut fresh meats, includin.g dry 

[18] 



COMMERCIAL GREENWICH 

goods, paints, oils, a general line of groceries and a 
limited stock of hardware and crockery. 

On the opposite corner stood the old Congrega- 
tional Church a large frame structure which had heen 
moved in 1860 after the construction of the present 




POST OFFICE lS(il 



stone edifice. Col. Thomas A. Mead and his nephew, 
Amos iNI. Brush, were the owners of the property. 
It stood on the northeast corner of Putnam Avenue 
and Sherw^ood Place and was occupied hy Ur. James 
Aiken's drug store, Linus Weed's jewelry store, the 
law office of Julius B. Curtis and the town otHces. 
The upper floor was a public hall, where were held 

[19] 



OTHER DAYS 1\ (iKEKXWK'H 

many s|)ii'itc(l ineetiii<>',s and k-ctiiix's (liii-iiiL»' the time 
of tile wai'. 

In wluit is now the front door yard of Dr. \^ir<4il 
C. I'iatti's residence, close to the street line, stood a 
small one-story l)uildin<>', used as a meat market hy 
John Henderson. It stood on land leased of Dr. 
^Nlason and was not removed till ahout 1870. 

Ahram Acker kejit a o'rocery store in a two-story 

frame huilding that stood 
where the eastern end of 
the Lenox House now 
stands. The old huildinf^ 
^vas removed to the rear 
of the present structure in 
1873 and was converted 
into servants' quarters for 
the liotel. It still stands 
there. 




JOSEPH E. BRL'SH 

181T-188() 
Wartime Postmaster 



Peter Acker, a brother 
of Abram Acker, for 
many years conducted a grocery store in a frame 
building', standing where Isaac li. ^Mead's buikling is 
now located, on the corner of Putnam and Greenwich 
Avenues. A piazza ran across the south side of this 
building from which was a fine view of Long Island 
wSouncl. It was reached by a long flight of steps 
which aft'orded a comfortable roosting ])lace for a lot 
of genial fellows, who would occasionally crawl down 
the stairs and through a cellar door that was always 

[20] 



COMMERCIAL GREENWICH 

invitingly open. Expensive bars were then un- 
known hereabouts, and a draught of Xew England 




^H-vvn ^r^^^^Y^^ 



rum did not come amiss, although served across the 
head of a barrel. 

Matthew ]Mead kept a cobbler's shop nearly oppo- 
site the John A. Bullard garage. 

Benjamin Peck, and later Frank Holmes, con- 

[21] 



OTHER DAYS IX GREENWICH 

ducted a (lry-<^()()(ls store in a lar^-e frame l)iiil(liii<i; 
which for many years after was occupied hy the 
(rreenwich Savings Rank, standing on wliat is now 
iMrs. L. P. Jones' land. 




FIRST lU'SIXKSS lUILDIXt: 1':HECTED ox CiHKKXWK'H 
WI'ATK 1S54 

John Dayton, who (hed August 18, 1008, was the 
first man to venture tlie purchase of a lot on (rreen- 
wich Avenue for husiness j)ur])oses. He was thought 
to he injudicious wlien lie and Daniel ^Nlerritt ^lead, 
as a ])artner, paid $.)()() foi- a lot .50x1.50. On this 
land they huilt the frame huilding now occu])ie(l l)y 
the Greenwich Savings Rank. The first floor was 
the Davton shoe store and Counselor Mead con- 

[22] 



COMMERCIAL GREENWICH 

ducted a law office in the second story which was sul)- 
sequently used for many years l)y CoL Heusted W. 
R. Hoyt for the same purpose. 

Peter Acker's garden lay along the west side of 
the avenue down to the grocery store of Oliver I^ock- 
wood, whose stand was where Benjamin I^ockwood's 
restaurant and Arthur Phillips' store are now lo- 
cated. 

Henry Held conducted the only meat market on 
Greenwich Avenue and that was open only during the 
forenoon. It occupied the frame huilding now 
owned hy S. A. and H. Ij. Brush at No. 7-t. It was 
not profitahle to keep the store open in the afternoon 
and evening, the business being insufficient. Xo de- 
liveries were made and many of the peo])le of wealth, 
for those days, carried their jjurchases home. 

John H. Merritt's fish market, which also served 
home-made ice cream in th.e hot weather, stood on 
Capt. Wm. I^. Lyon's land, where the Trust Co.'s 
building now stands. Later it was moved across the 
street and is now occupied as a plumber's store by 
Elias S. Peck. 

These stores were all the village had. Even the 
tinner and the })lumber were missing. There was 
little for a plumber to do. there being no public wa- 
ter supply. If a tea kettle needed repair or a house 
required tinning. Port Chester artisans did the work, 
unless a traveling tinker happened to call. 

It was not till nearly the close of the war that 
William and Robert Talbot, brothers, arrived and 

[23] 



OTHER DAYS IX GREENWICH 

()j)eiie(l a ])luml)in^' and tinning sliop at the head of 
tlie avenue on hind then heh^nging to Jacoh T. ^Veed 
and still in the possession of his family. The huild- 
ing was removed several years ago. A numher of 
descendants of the Tall)()t brothers are well-known 
residents of the Borough. 

With no street lights, very few side walks, and 
they of the crudest kind, it is easy to realize what a 
quiet country village Greenwich was during the war. 
Very few ventured out at night and those who went 
to an evening meeting or to pay a social call usually 
carried a lantern. Moonlight nights were always 
counted on and when the snow was on the ground 
coasting and sleigh-riding were greatly enjoyed. 



[24] 



CHAPTER III 

THE TOWN 

THK previous chapters have dealt with the village 
and its immediate surroundings, but no allusion 
has been made to the township. 

There are many wlio I'.ave no idea of the territorial 
extent of Greenwich. It is nearly as large as the 
District of Columbia. Eefore the days of rural free 
mail delivery it had a half dozen post offices and to- 
day it has four railway stations — Greenwicli, Cos 
Cob, Riverside and Sound Beach. 

In 1859 it was a fai-ming community producing 
hay, grain, potatoes, apples and milk in such quanti- 
ties that its population had become wealthy. The 
farms were generally unincumbered and railroad, 
bank and insurance stocks were largely held. Of 
course in those days the measure of wealth was much 
smaller than at present but most of the farmers were 
worth fifty thousand dollars, besides their farms 
valued at about one hundred dollars an acre. 

The population was al)out 6,500 and the assessed 
valuation for taxation was '$'2. 882, 853 which included 
nine hundred and nin.ety-seven houses valued at 
$701,580, showing that about three-fourths of the 
taxes were levied on farm lands, and that therein lay 
the importance of the town. 

[25] 




ABRAHAM HKYXOI.DS 

ISSO-IHOS 



OTHER DAYS IN GUEEXWICH 

As I have sliown. Miaiiiis had more eoniniercial 
interests than Horse Xeek, tlie usual name for the 

vllhige. 

Tlie "Lower Landing," 
or Cos Col), liad its mar- 
ket hoats. as well as 
^lianus and from these 
two ]K)ints most of the 
farm produets found their 
way to the eity. Capt. 
Daniel Merritt at Piping- 
Point, near the foot of 
Arch wStreet (the landing 
having been eovered by the ])resent railroad embank- 
ment), and Capt, Caleb Holmes at Rocky Neck had 
all they could do in the transportation of produce, 
but the otlier side of tlie town outnumbered 
them in freight tonnage. 
Oliver ^lead, Thomas 
A. iNlead, Ste])hen Jj. 
Radford, Zaccheus ^lead, 
Charles jNlead, ^Vbraham 
and Augustus X. Rey- 
nolds of North Street and 
their neighbors. Lot and 
Di"ake ]\Iead, were a few 
of the large shi])pers of 
farm produce. 

Milk went away })y train every night in large (juan- 
tities, while now not a can goes out but instead 

[26] 




CAPT. CALEB HOLMES 

isii-iss; 




THE TOWN 

many cans are imported from tlie northern counties 
of Xew York and ^Massachusetts. 

Ignoring, for the present the territory nortli of the 
Parsonage Road, it may be interesting to recall the 
various farms that composed that part of the town 
now included in its thickly settled southern portion, 
exclusive of the village. 

At Byram, an.d on the point of the same name, in- 
cluding \'ery much of 
East I'ort Chester were 
the farms of Jonas ]Mead 
and Daniel I^yon. That 
part of the town was 
in closer communication 
with Port Chester than 
with our own village ])ut 
on the Sabbath day Dea- 
con Jonas ^Nlead, his sons. 
]Mark and ]Milo, and three 
old ladies with poke bon- 
nets, seemingly representatives of generations long- 
departed were regular attendants at the Second Con- 
gregational Church. 

The Lyons were, I think. Episcopalians and at- 
tended church in Port Chester. 

Sunday consisted of sacred and solemn hours and 
its ol)servance was strict. 

Xow that houses, some very large and expensive 
and many of more modest proportions cover this ter- 
ritorv it is hard to realize how beautifully rural 

[27] 




ALC'.LSTrS X. HKYN'OLDS 



OTIIKK DAYS IX (;KEKXWICH 

Bvrain Point was lialf a eeiiturv a<»(). Tlii'iistin<>' its 
liead above a ni<><»e(l k'(l<4'e in wliicli its roots are fas- 
tened an aneient eedar tree may l)e oeeasionally seen., 
a relic of the wild and artistic ii'rowtli tliat finally at- 




STEPHEX I.. KADEURD 

1SJS-19()7 

tracted such pnrchasers as William J. Tingue and 
Charles and Henry K. Mallory. The soil between 
the out cropping rocks was extremely fertile and those 
patient, plodding farmers wrested what they consid- 
ered a fortune from tlie land which later produced to 

[28] 



THE TOWN 

their descendants sudden and marvelous wealth in the 
quick turning of real estate deals. 

iNIilo ^Nlead has been called the Sage of New Leb- 
anon, his name for East Port Chester. His father, 
Deacon Jonas Mead, died August 2, 1871. 

His estate consisted of about seven thousand dol- 




.-n~ J?!?'^^^-"- :^5r^?^. 



JONAS MEAD HOMESTEAD 
Torn down 1911 

lars in personal property and one hundred and forty- 
two and one-half acres of land appraised at -$4(),()0(). 
This land went to his two sons, JNIark and JNIilo, but 
remained undivided until January, 1879, when all the 
shore front consisting of thirty acres and much land 
besides was set off to Mark ^Nlead while his brother, 



[29] 



OTIIKK DAYS IX (;KKEXWTC TI 



.Milo. had to coiitt'iit liimsc'lf uitli inland |)r()))t'rtv, 
although eiglit acres liad a h-()iita<^c on the Kyram 
Ki\er. wliere the Xew Lcbaiion docks were al'tei-wards 
built. 

Upon acquirin^i^' this hmd. Mih) Mead had it sur- 



i 



iViyi .'ffV(VIHIB3i>4 klMHk 





MILO MEAD 1904 

veyed and divided into lots fifty feet wide, naming 
the whole jNIeadville. Subsequently this name was 
abandoned and the name X^ew Lebanon adopted and 
persistently adhered to down to the day of his death, 
August 2, 19()(>. Once when asked the significance 
of the name, he stated that the cedars reminded him 
of those in Lebanon of 15ible history. 

However, the name was never popular. The mer- 
chants preferred Kast Port Chester and William J. 



THE TOWN 

Tingue favored Hawthorne, after his woolen mills 
at Glenville. For a short time the post office bore 
this latter name. The school district was called New 
Lebanon in consideration of a gift of valuable land 
for school purposes. 

Henry A. ^Nlerritt could 
purchase the river front 
only upon condition tliat 
the dock lie contemplated 
building should l)e called 
the New I.,ebanon dock, 
which name it still retains. 
The Opera House, the 
Danish club house and 
the town dock, located 
on land given by 
]Mr. ^Nlead, and a few 
places of business, still 
bear the name. dkacox joxas mead 

The Danish club house is ^Ir. ^Mead's best monu- 
ment. He gave the land and furnished tlie mt)ney 
for its construction. In front of the building, which 
is of brick, with stone trimmings, is a bronze has re- 
lief of JNIr. INIead and beneath it the inscription 
"The Sage of New Lebanon." 

It is a work of art and a very correct likeness, 
though so high in the wall that it is seldom noticed. 
The artist w^as Carla Christensen, a young lady of 
Copenhagen. 

There is a large population of Danes in East Port 

[81] 




OTHER DAYS TX GREENWICH 



Cliester, and they held ^Nlr. Mead in liigh esteem, 
primarily beeause he was williii<4' to (hspose of his 
land to them at reasonable priees when he mi_i>ht have 
sold to mueh better advanta<»e to the wealthy for 
large estates. 

The thirty-aere traet of Sound Shore front set oft' 

to 3Jark ^Nlead was 
quickly sold and is now 
occu])ied by such ])laces 
as those of Joseph Mil- 
bank, John H. Hanan, 
Charles Mallory and Ed- 
gar L, ^Nlarston, president 
of the Farmers' I^oan and 
Trust Co. 

Farther west was the 
farm of John R. Grigg, 
somewhat remote because 
what is now Flamilton. 
x4venue with a trolley line 
was but a right of way 
with gates now and then. 
But his broad fields were 
none the less productive 
and all his life he devoted himself to their cultiva- 
tion. The old white farmhouse, still standing, was 
then a landmark all by itself, commanding a broad 
view of Eong Island Sound. Rut it has been 
dwarfed and rendered insignificant by great three- 
story Italian apartment houses and by numerous mod- 

[32] 




WINDSOR CHAIR 

I'sfil by Drac-oii Jonas Mead anc 
his son Milo. Xow the prop 
ertv of the Autlior 



THE TOWX 



ern cottages in the near-by Jaynes Park, a portion of 
the original farm. 

Just across the valley, on the next ridge to the 
east, was the farm of Augustus JNIead. The old 
homestead moved liack a few rods from the street 
and enlarged is now known as Homestead Hall, a 
popular summer hotel. Open the town records of 
fifty years ago and almost 
every page reveals liis 
name. He was a careful, 
methodical, and thrifty 
farmer of ample means 
and possessing the charac- 
teristics of wisdom and 
moderation. He was a 
man of deliberate judg- 
ment and those who had 
no claims upon him, ex- 
cept that they were his townsmen went to him for 
advice and counsel. 

I do not intend to imply that he was not ])rogres- 
sive; onJy that always before he made a move he was 
sure of his ground. Those who were his contem])o- 
raries say tliat he was a close reader of scientific pub- 
lications and tliat he gave careful attention to the 
products of tlie patent office. Any new devices in 
farming implements particularly interested him and 
in his outbuildings were many examples of oddly con- 
structed ])l()ws and harrows with which he had ex- 
perimented. He was a thorough believer in any 

[33] 




.lOHX U. GlilGG 



OTIIKK DAYS IX GKKKXWKII 

clian<»"e of methods suggestive of progress. lie was 
the first man to build an ice house in town. 

lie held various offices of trust including the initial 
judgeship of the Court of Probate. I recall exactly 




Ji'Dcii-: ArcisTi's .mead 

About lS(iO 

how he looked as he drove along in a s(|uare box 
wagon and tied his brown horse. Dandy, to a stone 
post standing under a great elm tree, whose branches 
still liang over the little building that held the Pro- 
bate Court and the Post Office. His name has been 
perpetuated in his son, Augustus I. jNIead, and his 
grandson, Augustus, son of X^elson B. JNIead. 

[34] 



THE TOWX 

I can not refrain at this point from di<Tressing a 
little to tell the story of the Post Office building, as 
revealed in the town records, showing as it does the 
confidence in business matters enjoyed by the men of 
those days. Samuel Close was postmaster in 18.59. 







-i^t-,. 



m*^ •^,. -'.,^ \ 



y-^~'L,i 



V" 



^'^i 








HOMESTEAD OE AUGUSTUS MEAD AS El' APPEARED IX 1859 

He had succeeded Isaac Weed in 1831 and, with the 
exception of four years prior to 1854. when Joseph 
E. Brush was postmaster, held the office till the elec- 
tion of President I^incoln in 1860. He and Judge 
jNIead were the leaders in their party and it fell to 
them to arrange for quarters for the new Judge of 
Probate. ]Mr. Close then owned the property at 20 East 
Putnam Avenue now owned by Dr. Frank ]M. Holly. 
As soon as Augustus ]Mead was elected Judge of 
Probate he hired of ]Mr. Close the northeast corner 

[35] 



OTIIKK DAYS IX (iUKKXWK 11 

of his door yard and, at his own expense, erected 
ii frame huihhn^' wiiicii is still standing-. The lease 
was executed Deceniher :i, 18.).*}. It recites the fact 
that Judo-e Mead had already erected the huildin^. 
The lease [)r()vide(l that it slionld he used oidv for the 
office of town clerk, the post office and Court of Pro- 
bate. As the huildino- was only 20x28 the limita- 
tion of its use seems to have been hardly necessary. 

The postmaster was to 
have the exchisive rioht to 
occupy the first story, but 
not to interfere with 
Judge jMead in passing 
through, in order to get to 
the second story, which 
indicates the location of 
the Probate Court and 
carries with it the sugges- 
tion that Ml". Close re- 
ceived his ground rent in 
the partial use of the building erected by Judge ^lead. 
Judge jNIead died April 22, 18()4<, still the nominal 
owner of the building. In the settlement of his es- 
tate, although the building was a fixture and actually 
belonged to Mr. Close as the lease had terminated 
October 1, 1858, it was appraised in the estate of 
Judge Mead at .$800. On June 8, 1864, Elkanah 
^lead, as administrator of Judge Mead's estate, sold 
the building, at the appraisal, to Rebecca K. INIayo, 
the wife of Captain Thomas Mavo and the daughter 

[30] 




SQL'IRE SAM'L CLOSE 
In 1860 



THE TOWN 

of Mr. Close. Dr. Holly has improved and greatly 
enlarged the building making it a very tasty cottage. 

The front wing represents the original building 
and the identical letter slot is still at the left of the 
front door. 

But the great farm, the farm with a history, was 
owned by Oliver Mead and a portion of it is now 
known as Field Point Park. To-day it is ])eautiful 
with its fine residences, its sweeping lawns and its 
brilliant flower beds, visible from the water, the 
growth of trees and foliage having cut ofl" the view 
from any other point. But all its rural simplicity 
has departed. It lies like an over-turned spoon one 
hundred and ten acres south of the homestead, and 
once from any part of it the view of Sound and village 
was unobstructed. Those wdio live on the charming- 
outer circle of this wonderful point have all the view 
they desire. 

There are ancient oak trees on this land, some of 
them perhaps of the forest primeval. There were 
springs, some very close to the shore, where the cat- 
tle drank and where the Round Hill and Stanwich 
picknickers filled their pails. The stone ^^'alls were 
in many places ten feet wide, blasted from the land 
by the first settler, Zophar JNIead. 

Years before the Revolution all the territory be- 
tween Horse Neck Brook and the extremity of the 
Point was common land — a great horse pasture, into 
which any of the inhabitants could turn their horses. 
The early records call it "Horse Neck Field Point" 

[37] 



OTHER DAYS 1\ GREKXA\ IC II 

from wliic'li tlie ()ri<>inal name of tlie AillaL>e. Horse 
Xcck, was derived. 

Ill the latter part of the ei^liteeiitli eeiitiii'v 
Abraham jNIead eoiuhieted a |)ottery where the Held 
House now stands. lie Iiad two sons, Isaae and 
Z()])liar. The hitter settled on the lower ])oi-ti()n of 
Fiekl Point and was tlie father of Oliver. Isaae 
settled on the nortliern portion and was the father of 
Augustus ^lead. It was the uiiderstandinf)' between 
the sons that their father should (li\ ide his time be- 
tween them. When the old plaee at Indian Harbor 
was given up Abraham ]Mead went to live with his 
son Isaac, dying before the first year of his residence 
with liim had expired. 

.Vbi-aham ^lead was a devout and influential mem- 
ber of the Second Congregational C hui'eh and to dis- 
tinguish him from some of the other Pleads with tlie 
same given name, he was called Deacon Potter from 
his occupation. 

But to return to the soutlierly portion of Field 
Point where Oliver ^Slead was born and died. When 
I was a boy he was a man of inferior physical 
strength, living in the old homestead, a bachelor, hut 
surrounded with all the comforts that his life re- 
(|uired. He moved about the farm slowly and ])ain- 
fully, leaning u])on a cane and giving to his men in- 
telligent directions for their work. He was noted 
for his fine oxen of which he had several yoke, as a 
])air was called. He freciuently loaned to his neigh- 
l)ors his oxen, but it was said that he ^^as so solicitous 

[38] 







''N'-^'rWIIf^m' 



THE TOWN 

for their welfare that he sent a double team or two 
pair when but one pair was requested. Every por- 
tion of Field Point was under the most careful culti- 
vation. 

The old oak trees still standing along the easterly 
shore, now owned ])y 
George F. Dominick and 
perhaps some others, and 
one or two on the extreme 
point now owned by Sey- 
mour J. Hyde, were his 
pride. On one occasion 
he spoke of them as sliad- 
ing his cultivated land to 
its damage, but added 
that he could well afford 
the diminished crops, the 
trees were so grand. 

JNIr. JNIead never took 
any active part in public 
affairs. He was a mem- 
ber of the Second Congre- 
gational Church and a 

liberal giver to every worthy benevolent cause 
died March 19, 1887, at the age of 87 years. 

In addition to Field Point he owned Roimd Island 
and considerable other land. The inventory of his 
estate shows 166 acres of land valued at $64,300 and 
$108,076.22 of personalty. 

For years the eves of wealthy men had been on 

[4,1] 




MISS SALLY .ML AD 

For many vears in the family of 
Oliver Mead 



He 



OTIIKK DAYS I\ (;KKK\WI(TI 

Field Point, with its tine sliore front, iiiorf than a 
mile in extent. Oeeusionally it was reported that 
jNIr. Mead had heen offered large snnis to part with 
this land, some of which he had l)onL>]it, hut most of 




OLIVER MEAD 

which was ancestral estate, l^ut the old man, feeble 
as he was, outlived many who had coveted those 
broad acres. 

When he died his last will, dated December 1, 
1882, was filed for probate and at once a most in- 
teresting discussion arose among both lawvers and 

[42] 



THE TOWN 

laymen as to what disposition he had made of the 
land. 

His cousin, Oliver D. jNIead, now president of the 
Greenwich National Bank, had lived with Oliver 
^lead for several years before his death and the old 
man had enjoyed, during that time, the comfort and 
solace of the younger man's wife and daughters. 
But some of the lawyers said that Oliver D. JNIead 
had only a life estate in this fine property and was 
not able to convey a perfect fee title. Others took 




^ ^ 




l^urTERY MADE BY DEACON ABRAHAM MEAD 1700 

the opposite view and while the discussion was rife 
no one cared to purchase, whatever his own opinion 
of the matter might be. The cause of contention 
was the seventeenth clause of the will which I venture 
to quote in full. 

"I give, devise and bequeath all my real estate, 
"wheresoever situated including my burial plot, all my 
"stock and farming utensils on said real estate, all 
"my household furniture of every description and all 
"my wearing apparel to Oliver D. ^Mead to him and 
"to his heirs forever. If the said Oliver D. ^lead 

[43] 



()TIIK1{ 1)A^ S IN (iUKKXWKII 

"should (lie without leaving- any heirs, then and in 
"that event I <y']\v my said real estate to Aiinustns 
''I. Mead to him and his heirs forever." 

AVhile the diseussion continued Oliver I). Mead 
was in ])()ssessi()n. certainly with jjerfect pi-opi-ietv, 
for at least he had a life estate. Hut it was no easy 
burden in the days of unprofitable farmint^- to 
carry on such a farm and pay the taxes; at least that 
is my own conclusion. 

Under these circumstances it was (piite natural for 
Mr. Mead to welcome a possible purchaser foi" at 
least a ])ortion of the ])r()perty whatever the title. 
Therefore, in. the spring of 1895, a proposition was 
made that the town purchase Round Island includ- 
ing' a considerable parcel on the main land for a pub- 
lic park. The price fixed was seventy-five thousand 
dollars. A special meeting was held on the eighth of 
April and resulted in the a])pointment of a committee 
of purchase, consisting of George G. ^NlcXall, John 
H. Banks and Slieldon E. ]\Iinor. 

The deed was signed but was never delivered, be- 
cause many of the residents of Belle Haven believed 
that the extension of the shore road to the island which, 
was contemplated in the deal and the maintenance of 
a pu])lic park at that place would be undesirable. 
Infiuence from many sources was brough.t to bear on 
the parties interested and it was concluded to aban- 
don the matter. It has been a great regret to many 
who at the time ojjposed it, that the jjark was not 
established and especially since it has become known 

[44] 



THE TOWN 

that John D. Chapman, the present owner of Round 
Ishuid paid very much more and hought considerably 
less land than was contemplated in the park scheme. 

But there came a time, three years later, wlien the 
question of title went to the coiu'ts and our Supreme 
Court of Errors decided that Oliver I). ^Mead's title 
was perfect. 

The case arose upon a contract for the sale of a 
portion of the land which had first been purchased 
by Judge R. Jay Walsh who contracted to sell it to 
James McCutcheon. The latter took tlie ground 
that Judge Walsli had an imperfect title and could 
not carry out his contract to convey the fee of the 
land. Probably as far as these litigants were con- 
cerned, the suit was a friendly one, the sole object 
being to have the will reviewed and its meaning de- 
termined by the liighest Court in Connecticut. But 
when the matter actually got into coui't other inter- 
ests were cited in; the arguments of all the counsel 
were very full and complete and appearances indi- 
cated that the suit could scarcely be termed friendly 
but one in which those interested wanted all that be- 
longed to them. 

The case first went to the Superior Court and 
without the introduction of testimonv the following' 
finding of facts was agreed upon. 

"That Oliver D. JNIead derived his title to Field 
"Point under the will of his cousin, Oliver ^lead. 
"That at the time of the execution of tlie will Oliver 
"D. ^lead and his three children were living and are 

[45] 



orilKl^ 1)A\ S I\ (;i{KK\\VK'IT 

"still liviii.L»-. 'I'luit Aijonstus I. Mead is Iivin_L>' aiul 
"tliat lie has two children. That Olivei- Mead de- 
prived his title from his father, Zophar Mead, hy will 
"in 1844 and that Z()i)hai' Mead derixed title to a 
"portion of the farm fi'om his fathei- Abraham Mead, 
"in 18-J7. l^pon the death of Oliver Mead. Oliver 
"I), and his family were in possession of the farm, 
"liaving been living there some time in the control 
"and management of the property, l^otli the father 
"and mother of Angnstus 1. ^lead were first cousins 
"of Oliver ]Mead. Oliver ^Mead's nearest relations 
"were first cousins. He was never married." 

Under the 17th section of the will, previously 
(juoted, Samuel Fessenden of Stamford, arguing for 
the defendant, claimed that Oliver D. ^Nlead took an 
absolute title and that the provision regarding the 
death of Oliver D. "without leaving any heirs" was 
intended only to provide for tlie contingency of 
Oliver D. dying before the death of Oliver. That 
the intent must govern unless it is contrary to law. 
He claimed that the 17th seetion of the will in con- 
nection with the 19th seetion and surrounding cir- 
cumstances clearly indicated that it was the intention 
of the testator to create an absolute estate. 

The 19th section of the will reads as follows: "If 
"there should not be enough estate outside of what 1 
"have given to Oliver D. ^Nlead to pay all the legacies 
"($8(),()()()) then and in that event I order and direct 
"the executor hereinafter appointed to pay each ])ro 
"rata. If anv of the legatees should die befoi-e my 

[4.(i] 



THE TOWN 

"decease, then and in that event, the legacy I have 
"given to such legatee or legatees, I give and devise 
"to the heirs of such deceased legatee or legatees." 

Taking the two sections oNIr. Fessenden argued that 
it was the intention of Oliver JNIead to leave the real 
estate to Oliver D., provided he outlived him. If he 
died before the testator, leaving heirs, he intended 
that they should inherit the estate absolutely. If 
Oliver D. died before Oliver, leaving no heirs, then 
it was intended that Augustus I. JNIead should take 
the land absolutely. A legatee is one who takes per- 
sonal property under a will and a devisee is one w4io 
takes land. The counsel argued that these tw^o 
words had been employed by the testator without 
distinguishing any difference in their meaning. 
Hence, he claimed that the 19th section included the 
devise to Oliver D. INIead, when he provided that the 
children of such legatees should take, if the legatee 
died before the death of the testator, showing that 
the second half of the 17th section of the will was 
only to provide against a lapse of the devise. He 
reasoned that the provision in the 19th section that 
"If there should not be enough outside of what he 
had given Oliver D. to pay all the legacies they were 
to be paid pro rata" showed conclusively that Oliver 
intended Oliver D. to take the farm unincumbered 
and untrammeled by any burden whatsoever. 

In reply, John E. Keeler, of Stamford, argued 
that Oliver D. Mead did not acquire an absolute title 
to the land devised to him under the will. He said: 

[47] 



OTHER DAYS IN (JHKEXWICH 

■"To sii|)i)()i-t tlu' \ it'W that ()li\c'i' 1). Mt-ad ht-caiue 
possessed of an ahsoliitc titlf. it is iicccssarN' to claim 
one of two things, either that all of the 17th section. 
after tlie fii-st sentence is to be rejected as repugnant 
and of no meaning; or tliat the words 'die without 
leaving any heirs' refer to Oliver 1). Mead's deatl) 
before the deatli of the testator, Oliver Mead. 

"It cannot be seriously contended that all of the 
"second sentence is to be set aside as luning no meaii- 
"ing. Evidently the testator had two methods of 
"dis])osition in mind as relating to his I'cal estate, 
^'turning upon the time of the death of Oliver 13. 
"Mead. 

"If the latter died before him he desired the 
"])ropei-ty to go immediately to his h.eirs in fee: these 
"heirs were children of Oliver D. Mead in being at 
"the time of the making of the will; lint if Oliver 1). 
"iNIead died after Oliver Mead leaving no children 
"then an entirely difi'erent disposition takes ])lace and 
"Augustus I. INIead succeeds to the proj)erty." 

^Ir. John C. Chamberlain, of ]5ridge]jort, i-epi-e- 
senting Augustus I. ^lead and his children, argued 
that Oliver D. INIead had an estate tail in the land, 
relying largely upon a case decided l)y the same 
Court in June, 181)(), entitled Chestro vs. Palmer, .58 
Conn. lie])orts, page 207, in which the construction 
oF a will was sought, the will reading (juite like tin- 
will of Oliver Mead. "In that case the Court de- 
"cided that the estate created by the will was onlv an 

[48] 



THE TOWN 

"estate tail and that the whole situation was so sim- 
"ilar to that found in Chestro vs. Palmer that it is 
"apparently impossible to construe this estate in 
"Oliver D. JNIead to be anything more than a fee tail, 
"without overruling all the law of the State upon the 
"subject." 

^Ir. Chamberlain's contention concerning the 
rights of Augustus I. JNIead in the property was 
much wider than the claim made by "Sir. Keeler. 
While 3Ir. Keeler recognized the possible accession 
to tlie land by the children and grandchildren of 
Oliver D. ]Mead, "Sir. Chamberlain argued that the 
"remainder," after the death of Oliver D. 3Iead, 
would go to Augustus I. ]Mead and that the descend- 
ants of Oliver D. Mead would have no interest after 
the death of their father. Answering JNlr. Fessen- 
den with relation to a provision of the testator in the 
19th section whereby the legacies were to be paid 
pro rata if there should not be money enough, ^Ir. 
Chamberlain said that the clause was not in.consistent 
with his claim. "Oliver ^Nlead had entailed the land 
"and it was to go to future generations, hence it 
"could not be sold to pay legacies but must be kept 
"intact." 

Nor did he think that possession and occupation 
of the premises by Oliver U. ^Nlead before the death 
of Oliver Mead was inconsistent with the theory that 
Oliver Mead intended his cousin to occupy the place 
for life. 

[49] 



OTIIEl{ DAYS i\ (;kki:xwi('tt 

"The property was i)artly ancestral estate and if 
"there had been no will Augustus 1. Mead and his 
"brother. Xelson H. Mead, would have taken the land 
"to the exelusion of ()li\er 1). Mead, and it is not 
"strange that the old man desii'ed it to remain in the 
"same hi'aneh of the family from whence it had come 
"to him." 

Chief Justice Andrews wrote the opinion in which 
he pursued much the same method of reasoning as 
did ^Ir. Fessenden in his argument. 1 (piote from 
the opinion. 

"The hmguage in the 17th paragraph, in its first 
"clause, creates in Oliver D. ^Nlead an absolute es- 
"tate in fee simple, in the huids in question. This 
"Coiu't in a very recent case, ^Mansfield vs. Shelton. 
"67 Conn. Reports, page 300, and after an exam- 
"ination of the prior cases, held that an express gift 
"in fee simple will not be reduced to a life estate by 
"mere implication from a subsequent gift over, but 
"may be by subsequent language clearly indicating 
"intent and equivalent to a ])ositive provision. 

"The words of the second clause of the 17th para- 
"graph. which are supposed to have the effect of re- 
"ducing the fee simple title created in Oliver 1). 
"Mead to a lesser estate are: Tf the said Oliver 1). 
"Mead should die without leaving any heir, then, 
"&c.' Read literally these words mean nothing. 
"Xo man can die without leaving any lieii's. The 
"law ])resumes. until the contrary is shown, that 
"everv deceased person leaves heirs. It is argued 

[.>0] 



THE TOWN 

tliat the word heirs ouglit to be read as meaning chil- 
dren. 

In a suitable case the Court might possibly adopt 
such a reading. But in the present case, where the 
effect of the changed reading would be to defeat 
the very clearly exjjressed general intent of the tes- 
tator, as well as to reduce an express gift in fee 
simple to a lesser estate, the Court would hardly 
feel authorized to do so. . . . There is another 
rule of construction which has been followed many 
times by this Court, and which is decisive of this 
case. It is, that when in a will an estate in fee is 
followed by an apparently inconsistent limitation, 
the whole should be reconciled by reading the latter 
disposition as applying exclusively to the event of 
the prior devisee in fee dying in the lifetime of the 
testator. The intention of tlie testator being, it is 
considered, to provide a substituted devisee in a case 
of a lapse. This construction gives effect to all the 
words of the will and makes all its parts consistent. 
The reference in the 19th clause to the estate 'given 
to Oliver D. INIead' was evidently intended to cover 
whatever was disposed of by the 17th clause. Part 
of that — the personal estate — was unquestionably 
an absolute gift. It is therefore reasonable to sup- 
pose that as the testator in this reference made no 
discrimination, he had intended none, between the 
real and personal property, and understood tliat he 
had given an absolute estate in both. 

[51] 



OTHER DAYS IX (iUKKWVK'II 

"It is also to l)e considered tliat if the j)i-()\ isioii 
"for Oliver's death without leaving' any heirs were 
"read as one as to his death without leavini*' any sur- 
"vivin<i^ issue, whether it occurred either hel'ore or 
"after that of tlie testator, tlien it c()nteni])late(l a 
"devise to sucli issue, which wouhl l)e void undei' tlie 
"former statute of perpetuities. 

"The construction which we ado])t, on the other 
"hand, by confining the effect of this clause to a 
"death before that of the testator, makes tliis chuise 
"valid and satisfies the rule that when a devise may 
"fairly be read either as a legal or an illegal one. the 
"former meaning is preferred. 

"From all the words of the will examined in the 
"light of the circumstances, we are persuaded that 
"Oliver ]Mead intended by his will to give, and did 
"give, to Oliver D. ^Nlead an estate in fee simple in 
"all his lands." 

This decision was generally satisfactory among 
those disinterested. It was suggested by some that 
the opinion was strained in the interest of an expedi- 
ency. It is true that the ])ublic interests would not 
be conserved by tying up for many years such a 
valuable tract of land and a feeling of satisfaction 
was manifest, when it became known tiiat Field l*oint 
had been ])urchased by a corporation known as the 
Field I-*oint I^and Co., for the ])ur])ose of develop- 
ment. The deed executed by Oliver 1). Mead recited 
a nominal consideration but the actual consideration 

[52] 



THE TOWN 

was probably greater than in any other of our re- 
corded conveyances. 

Sales of the land were consummated as soon as 
the company had laid out the property, and intro- 
duced light, water, sewerage and roads. It has been 
said that the land sold, all of which had shore front, 
brought from ten to fifteen thousand dollars an acre 
and no lot was sold less than three acres in area. 




[53] 



CHAPTER IV 

Tin: A\H1TK BRIDGE 

T^KFOKK takinfi' u]) anotlier farm tliat made 
■'^ rural Cxreenwich in other days, tlie old white 
bridg'e occurs to me as a subject foi- this cliapter. 
It may serve to hi-eak tlie monotony of my story. 

Davis' Creek is spanned by a raih'oad bridge near 
the new pumpino- station, like scores of others along 
the line. Eut in 18.59, a covered bridge of heavy 
frame, shingle roofed and shaped like a spireless 
church covered the creek above the old mill. It was 
then, about eleven years old. It was painted a 
glistening white and with the exception of the black 
smirches at the to}) from the belching smoke stacks 
was kei)t as neat and clean as a country church. 

Engineers on the night trains have often told how, 
as soon as they rounded the curve leaving Cos Cob, 
the white bridge would loom up before them, appar- 
ently double its actual size and glistening like a snow 
bank in the moonlight. None of the trainmen ever 
had any affection for the white bridge. It stood in 
a spot, until within thirty years, the most isolated 
between New York and Springfield. Overhanging 
hills covered with scrub oaks and tall cedars, but re- 
vealing \\hite, spectral-like tombstones in the old 



THE WHITE BRIDGE 

Davis biirviiio' ground, were on the north, while on the 
other sides the diversity of forest and meadow land, 
which in the glow of daylight were romantic in the 
extreme, at night were weird and uncanny enough. 

The white bridge was removed about 1880, but like 
its neighbor, the old mill, it had been a landmark for 
many a day. 

Queer stories were often told by superstitious en- 
gineers of the goblins that played at night about the 
old bridge and swung their spectral lanterns before 
the cab windows as the locomotive leaped into tb.e 
resounding and treml^ling structure. 

In the daytime the jjlace was often frequented 
by school children — by those who ought to have been 
at school. Girls and boys alike would sciu'ry across 
the ties as a train rounded the curve and hiding be- 
hind the great timbers of the bridge would hold on 
to the iron braces till the train had tlnmdered through. 
It was a dangerous spot and eleven lives were the toll 
of the white bridge. 

Besides the ghost stories th.at the trainmen used to 
tell about the bridge, there was one tale told of this 
spot that was really true. 

About the year 1860 the night train for Boston, 
consisting of baggage express and sleeping cars, was 
made up at 27th Street and hauled by horses through 
the Park Avenue tunnel to 42nd Street. Here, 
while the cars were being coupled in what was a far 
uptown street, surrounded by th.e whitewashed cabins 
of squatters, the home of goats and thieves, the ex- 

[57] 



OTHER DAYS IX (;UKKXWR II 

press car was l)()ar(k'(l hy two robbers. How tbey 
were able to I'oree tbe door and o'et into tbe eai' no 
one can tell, bnt tbev succeeded either by the aid of 
a confederate trainman or l)y niei-c elianee. Some 
have said that the door was carelessly left open and 
that the thieves, happening- to ])e about, saw their 
opportunity and seized it. 15e that as it may they 
got into tlie car and shot the door after them. 

The car was filled with treasure — governnRiit 
bonds, bank notes and l)ags upon bags of gold coin. 
Xo one was ever able or willing to tell just how many 
millions of dollars was in that rolling treasure house 
that night. 

As the train started on its trip how the thieves must 
have exulted in their rich find! The boxes and bags 
in which the securities and gold were packed, were 
immediately broken open and their contents exam- 
ined with care. JNIany bags of gold and packages of 
bank notes were piled up by the door and the non- 
negotiable bonds and other securities were left in a 
litter upon the floor. Tlie gold and bank notes could 
be safely handled and of these there was a fortune 
larger than the wildest fancy of the thieves had ever 
conceived of. \Vhat use then to bother with securi- 
ties that ])robably were registered ( These, re])re- 
senting millions of dollars which the robbers trampled 
in the reeling car were to them of no more value than 
so much bi-own paper. They were surfeited with the 
wealth of gold and bank notes. 

The first stop to be made was at the Cos Cob draw- 

[58] 



THE WHITE BRIDGE 

bridge, where all trains paused, and this the thieves 
probably knew, indeed they seem to have been 
familiar with the country about the white bridge, 
as the circumstances I am about to narrate will 
show. 

As the train approached this secluded spot the rob- 
bers began to unload the car. The bags of gold and 
bmidles of bank notes were thrown out as though an 
immense scoop had shoveled them through the door. 
For a mile the track was littered with wealth. As 
the train moved across the Cos Cob bridge, the rob- 
bers had alighted, leaving the door open. This was 
observed at Stamford and the robbery reported. 

Every effort was made to recover the treasure and 
to apprehend the robbers but not a clew was left to 
their identity. They were never apprehended. 

Some of the money came to light and in the most 
peculiar places. Bundles of bank notes were found 
in hollow trees and bags of gold to a large amount 
were found secreted among the upper truss beams 
of the white bridge. It was here indeed that the 
largest amount of the stolen treasure was discov- 
ered, for the robbers had evidently believed it a 
safe bank in which temi)orarily to deposit their ill- 
gotten hoard. And it doubtless would have been had 
not the jarring of a train shaken one of the canvas 
bags filled with gold almost into the lap of a young 
lady who had baited her line for crabs beneath the old 
bridge. 

For many years the railroad men called the present 

[59] 



OTHER DAYS I\ (;REEXWIC'II 

l)i"i(lL>t'. without rool' and j)aintc(l black, the '"white 
bi-i(l^c'"' after tlie one tliat really was white. 

About the old white brid<>e more tales eluster than 
I eould tell in a day. Tales of ball i^anies in the 
Lyman Mead meadow neai' by. wow fenced in as a 
part of Milbank: tales of love and tales of <>ree(l. 

]\Iany of my readers will remember that summer 
ni<^ht in 187() when the old bridge was filled with 
boulders and cross ties into which the shore line ex- 
press ran ^\•ith terrible force. That no blood was 
shed that ni<>ht was the will of a kind Pro^ idence, 
which protected the unconscious occupants of the \ou<r 
line of sleeping cars that waited while the trainmen 
tumbled the obstructions into the creek l)el()w. And 
the same protection perhaps enabled the villains who 
had planned a robbery to escape to the woods, where 
the engineer saw them stumbling across the graves in 
the Davis Cemetery. 

But no recollections of the white bridge are pleas- 
anter tlian. to those who remember it as a rendezvous 
for crabbers. 

In the ([uiet days of September when the haze of 
autumn rested on the creek and veiled the woods be- 
yond, who has not, in other days, stretched liimself 
upon the bit of sand beneath the railway bank, now 
covered by the pump house, and waited for the lazy 
bite of the succulent crab^ Hut the crabs are 
as scarce these (hiys as the gold in tlie span ol* the 
new^ white bridge. 



v-« 



[(>()] 



B 



CHAPTER V 

EAXKSVILLP^. AND STANWK H 

AXKSVIIiLE lies at tlie extreme nortlierJi 
edge of tlie town. It has a eliurch of (luaint 
construction. The post office is in a village store, 
located a few feet over the line, in the State of Xew 
York. 

The outlook of the village is towards tlie norlh 
where the wooded hills of North Castle and :\liddle 
Patent are in full sight. The water courses all run 
to the north and eventually join the waters of the 
JNIianus. 

JNIany years ago — perliaps seventy — when shoe- 
making was all done hy hand, the village of Hanks- 
ville was largely engaged in that industrv. For 
thirty years or more it kept in touch with (xreenwich 
through the Eanksville stage, which carried mail and 
jnissengers. Silas Derby, the owner of the line, was 
a quaint old character who passed away some years 
ago hut who was well-known hy the older generation. 
His mode of dress, the trim of his whiskers and his 
cheery "Yap" to his steeds will be readily recalled. 

Several years ago a busy South Street merchant 
enquired whether Der])y was still driving the Eanks- 
ville stage and being answered in the affirmative lie 
went on to say: 

"\Vhen I was a voung lad mv grandmother, wjio 

[61] 



OTIIKH 1)A\ S IX (;kkk\\vicii 

lived on tlie west road, Stainvicli, would send me out 
to meet the stage for the mail as it made its daily 
ti-ip. Often through the summer. I made the tri]) to 
the steamboat dock, fished all day and eame haek with 
Derby at night. Recently I had occasion to again 
visit (Greenwich, after an absence of twenty years, 

and there was dear old 
Derby, the only familiar 
1)1)] ect. driving exactly the 
same rig he had in the 
early sixties." 

Of course the man's im- 
pression of the rig was in- 
correct, although, tile style 
and color of the turnout 
never changed; 

Once I inter\'iewed the 
old gentleman. It was 
near the close of his life. Among other things he 
told me the following incidents: 

''Along in the late fifties Miss Ann Purdy came 
from Syracuse to I^anksville. She bought the house 
opposite the post office, consideral^ly enlarged it and 
established a boai-ding school for girls and boys. 
]Much to the surprise of everyone in 15anksville sh.e 
soon had a houseful and roomed a few outside. 

"At that time there was no regular communication 
with the village and she induced me to stai't the 
l^anksviile and Greenwich stage line. Slie lent me 
one hundred dollars and 1 made mv first trip June 

[02] 




( Mi IK I 1 \ I i; \N 



N i;,i,i-: 



BAXKSVILLE AXD STANWICH 

23, 1861. For many years I cari-ied ten passengers 
daily. The pnpils and teachers patronized me freely 
and even after the school was abandoned, way down 
into the seventies, the business was pretty good. 




THE STANWICH CHUKCH. SHTBEL BRUSH HOME- 
STEAD IX THE BACKGROUND 
Photo In- J. C. Bonnett 

"jNIy line was a feeder to the steamer John Homer 
and the president, Sanford ^Nlead, always passed me 
to New York and back, but I seldom went. In 
those days the members of the Americas Club often 
hired me to drive them to Rye Beach or Stamford 
and many times I had Boss Tweed with me on the 
front seat. 

"I left Banksville at six o'clock, caught the Rower 

[63] 



OTHER DAYS TX GKKKXWK IT 

at seven and left my railioad |)asseii_L>eis for tlu' 7.-1 
train. This <^ave nie all day in. the \ illa^'e. as I did 
not leave on tlie retnrn trip nntii the arri\al of the 
steamer at abont six o'eloek. 

"j^nt business is?)"t what it onee was and sometimes 




WILLIAM HUrSH HOMRSTP^AI) 

Stjiiiwicli 
Photo by ,1. C. Hoiuu'tt 

on tlie uj) trip the hills seem steeper and longer than 
they once did and tlie horses seem to j)ull with a 
greater effort. Then it is that I realize that the 
whole rig from the driver down is getting old and 
that the best of life lies far, far behind." 

South of Banksville lies Stanwieh. even more 
quaint than its sister village. It had a country store 
that was closed when the rural free delivery drove 

[64] 



BAXKSVILLE AND STAXWICH 

out the postoffice, but there still remaius au okl inn, 
now used as a dwelling and a beautiful country 
church, built in the latter part of the eighteenth 
century. 

Its graceful white spire first comes in view as one 
drives north by Rockwood Lake. The wide shingles 
that cover it are hand wrought and its large windows 
are glazed with diminutive panes. \Vhat a crime it 
would be to supplant those ancient lights with modern 
stained glass windows! 

A beautiful stained glass window is a joy forever, 
provided it is correctly placed. Such a window in a 
country church, which nestles among trees, or is 
shadowed by mountains, or commands a broad pros- 
pect of hill and dale, is an intrusion. But in a city 
church among brick walls, the beauty of stained glass 
takes the place of nature's decoration, and helps the 
worshiper to forget the sordid world about him. 

In this connection I must quote from the Right 
Rev. AVilliam I^awrence, the Bishop of jNIassa- 
chusetts. Recently he spoke of the rededication of 
the old North Church in Boston — the ancient house 
of worship from whose belfry the lanterns are said to 
have shone forth which guided Paul Revere on his 
famous ride: 

"Fortunately no stained glass has ever desecrated 
these windows. No painted glass can give greater 
beauty than the sky and the swinging branches of the 
trees seen through the transparent panes of a Colonial 
church." 

[65] 



OTIIKH DAYS IN (;KKK\\\ ICII 

Evervtiiiiio- about tlu- chnrclK inside ami out. is 
consistent witli its a<^e. It rests peacefully under the 
shadow of oreat trees that have afforded comfort and 
delight to several ^"enerations. 

In other days much of this territory helonycd to 
Charles, William and Shubel Brush, with the Inger- 
sols also appearing as land owners. 

JMany of the Stanwich ])eo])le were interested in 
tanning, Shubel Brush being the last to engage in it. 
He lived on the corner, hack of the church in an 
ancient house, which since his death has been much 
changed architectin-ally. 

His brother, AVilliam, lived on the cross road in an 
antique mansion now included within, the bounds of 
Semloli farm. Reverse the spelling and you have the 
o\\ner's name. 

The little village of Stanwich is suggestive of by- 
gone days, when the stagecoach to Bedford made a 
stop at the old Inn. Tliat l)uilding is now owned 
by jNlrs. A. Leta Bonnett, of New Haven, and Ilar- 
riette L. I^ockwood, granddaughters of Shubel 
Brush. It })resents a story of the long ago in its 
sweeping roof and quaint windows. 

Within, its wide fireplaces, in each room, and its 
bi'ick o\en suggest the near-by forest, with its ample 
supply of wood. The second floor was designed for 
a ball room and as occasion re(|uired, the partitions 
were hooked to the ceiling and the young ])eo])le, 
with their friends from Bedford, and North Castle, 
made merrv all the night long. 

[00] 



BAXKSVILLE AND STAXWICH 

Stories are told of a floiirishiii"- bovs' })oar(liii<>- 
school on the west road kept by Theodore June. 

There were debating clubs in the olden days of 
whicli there are many traditions and a few stray 
records. 

Sometimes I have heard this hamlet called East 
Stanwich. The old records give the name of Stan- 
wich to all the territory below Banksville, extending 
east as far as "the Farms" in Stamford To^vnship. 

The direct road from the B()rou"h to Bedford 
through Stanwich has always been known as ""the 
west street." 

There seems to be no reason for applying the name 
of East Stanwich to what is now and has always been 
the center of Stanwich. 




(il.I) IXX AT STANWICH 

Photo liv J. C. Boniiett 



[67] 



CHAPTKH VI 

THE DAVIS DOCK 

JUST at tliis point 1 nuist write of tlic Davis' 
Dock, over which there has heeii niiicli Hti<>'a- 
tion. and tlie ownership of which is still misunder- 
stood. At a town meeting held in Greenwich, June 
1.5, 171(^ the following resolution was ado})ted. It 
has generallv heen kn(nvn as the Justus l^nsh <»rant 
and 1 give it exactly as it appears in the Common 
place book in our Land Records. 

"The Towne by vot do give t!^ grant unto ^Ir. 
"Justice Bush of New Vork tlie privilege of the 
"stream of horseneck brook below the country road to 
"build a grist mill or mills upon <!v: sd Justice Rush 
"is to build said mill with.in two years time from this 
"date (S: to grind for the inhabitants of Green- 
"wich what grain they shall bring to his mill to be 
"ground & not to put them by for strangers &: he is 
"to have liberty to gett stones & timber upon com- 
"mon lands for l)uildings and mill & also to sett up 
"a store house upon said landing, (k said Justice 
"Bush is constantly to maintain a sufhcient grist mill 
"upon sd stream, except said mill should come to 
"some accident hv fire or othei'wise. e^- said Justice 

[68] 



THE DAVIS DOCK 

"Bush do not re})uil(l lier again witliin three years 
"time tlien the said stream & privileges to return for 
"their use and henefit as formerly; and further ]Mr. 
"Ebenezer JNIead k Angel Husted k John Ferris are 
"chosen to lay out the landing and highway on the 
"north side of Horseneck brook." 

What did this grant mean? Was the mill to he 
built on town property or on th.e Bush property, the 
grant applying only to the use of the lirook which 
^Ir, Bush had under his title to the shore of the 
stream ( The Davis family, who succeeded the Bush 
ownership, always supposed they owned the fee of tlie 
land and for many generations they paid the town 
taxes thereon. 

In 1837 considerable contention arose over this 
property, which then included a dock as well as a 
mill. But the only question was as to whether it was 
a public or private dock. The distinction is wlioUy 
as to whether wharfage has been charged or not. A 
private dock may be maintained upon one's own 
shore front but when the owner accepts wharfage it 
immediately becomes a public dock to which any ves- 
sel may tie upon the due tender of wharfage. 

After the death of Eleanor R. Davis this property 
belonged, under her will, to JNIrs. Amelia J. Dougan 
and an action was tried in the Court of Common 
Pleas between ^Irs. Dougan and the town to deter- 
mine her rights therein. 

It seems from the decision of the Court of Errors, 
to which the case went for final determination, that 

[69] 



OTHER DAYS IX GREEXWIC TI 

after the litigation uas over the (jiiestion ol' tlie own- 
ership of the land was still undetermined. 

There was a tradition that the same (luestion had 
onee before been tried and eonsiderable time and 
money were expended in a!i effort to find the ohl 
files. 

Finally, after the Dougan case was disposed of 
the papers were discovered among the criminal tiles, 
stored in the garret of the County Court House in 
Bridgeport. These files disclosed the fact that in 
1837 the question as to whether the dock was public 
or private was determined in favor of ^Valter Davis 
then the owner. 

Capt. Charles Studwell, a boat owner, assumed 
to use the dock without paying ^Ir. Davis 
wharfage and thereupon he brought suit claiming 
$30 damages. The case was tried before Ephraim 
Golden, a justice of the peace, and the hearing began 
September 12, 1837, at the Inn of Benjamin l^age 
at ^Nlianus I^anding. 

Jacob Dayton, Jr., was the constable who served 
the papers and his fees were taxed at ninety-four 
cents. 

After due hearing, tlie Court, on October 11, ren- 
dered a judgment for $8.00 for the plaintiff, Walter 
Davis, with his costs taxed at $10.41, and an appeal 
was taken to the County Court. 

This suit was remarkable for the personnel of the 
Counsel engaged. 

Charles Hawley, of Stamford, one of the most 

[70] 



THE DAVIS DOCK 

eminent lawyers of the State, signed the writ. He 
appeared in the Page Inn at jNIianus and tried and 
won the suit for ]Mr. Davis. 

Associated with him was the famous Roger JNIinot 
Sherman, who, shortly after the trial of the case, he- 
came a judge of the Supreme Court. He died in 
Fairfield in 1844. 

The trial of the case created intense excitement in 
town and was the subject of much discussion for 
years afterward. Capt. Studwell, being defeated, 
appealed through his counsel, Joshua B. Ferris, of 
Stamford, then a youth, to the County Court (since 
abolished) where the case was tried before a jury 
consisting of Walter Sherwood, Stephen Raymond, 
Moses Birkly, Jr., Christopher Hul^bel, Benjamin 
C. Smith, Samuel Beardsley, William B. Dyer, 
Horace Waterbury, John Holmes, Isaac Scofield, 
Noah Knapp and John Young. The trial occurred 
in Fairfield, then the County Seat, in April, 1839, 
and resulted in a judgment for "Sir. Davis. An ar- 
rest of judgment was filed and final judgment was 
not entered until :May 18, 1840. 

The witnesses who appeared before the Justice at 
^lianus and before the County Court were Silas 
Davis, a son of the plaintiff', B. Morrell, "Si. ]Mead, 
J. L. Bush, William Hubbard, Joseph Brush, Paul 
Ferris and Samuel Ferris. After this, the Davises, 
for several generations, continued to collect wharfage. 
In ^Nlrs. Dougan's case, referred to above, the 
Supreme Court of Errors decided that the (hck was 

[71] 



OTTTKK 1)A^ S IX (;reex\vicii 

a public (lock but tlic (question of the owucrshii) of 
the land was not determined. Tlie case is repoi-ted in 
77 C'oji. He])., i)age 4-4'4. 

In teiMiiinating" the opinion written by , Indue Ilall. 
th.e Court says: "The answer does not alle<^e owner- 
ship in th.e town but that the locus [the place] was a 
public dock and landin<>' place/' 



[r-'] 



R 



CHAPTER VII 

KOC'KKIDGE AND DEAKFIEIJ) 

ECl'RRIXG again to the centrally-located 
farms as outlined in the beginning of Chapter 
I, I desire herein to include in one description the 
farms of Thomas A. 3Iead and Zaccheus INIead. 

These two farms, divided by the Glenville road, 
comprising three or four hundred acres, stretched 
away from the Post Road, in valley and hill to the 
north and west, ending in woodland. 

The Thomas A. Mead homestead was built in 
171)0 by Richard ^lead and is known as Dcarfield. 
The name is not misspelled but has a significant 
meaning. Various stories are told of its derivation: 
the one most likely to be true is as follows: One of 
Richard ^lead's family, in writing to a friend, de- 
scribed the fields of waving grain through the valleys, 
along the knolls and ridges to the "Hemlock Woods"; 
all visible from the windows of the house and char- 
acterizes them as "dear fields." 

Dearfield Drive takes its name from the same inci- 
dent. 

The Thomas A. ^lead farm is now known as Edge- 
wood Park, and the Zaccheus iNIead farm as Rock 
Ridge. 

[73] 



OTllKU DAYS 1\ CiRKKXWICII 

Fifty years ago lookino- north from the Post Road 
at all that great acreage, the two farms seemed one. 
Tliere were plowed fields, waving grain and I'oek- 
ribbed hills, while to the west the beautiful Hemlock 

Woods ah\ays look the last rays of the setting snn. 
Tile Zaeehens Mead homestead, latelv the home of 




'•|)Jv\l{|- IKI.DS" 
Thos. A. Mead Hoinestead 
Built irf)9 

Charles B. Read, deceased, stood out all alone, 
prominent against the northern sky. In all that 
gi'eat stretch from the Post Road to the woods at the 
north and west, there was scarcely a tree, exce})ting 
two or three apple orchards and the small wood lot 
near the residence of Judge Charles D. Rurnes on 
Brookside Drive. 

Farmers always were solicitons for their lands 

[74] 



ROCKRIDGE AND DEARIIELD 

under cultivation and a shaded field was usually un- 
productive. But I recall how desolate that old 
Zaccheus jNIead homestead looked standing all alone 
against the steely gray winter sky. 

From the same point of view it is now lost in a 




THOMAS A. MKAD 



jungle of shade trees or hy the ohstriiction of inter- 
vening buildings. 

This great territory was divided hy ancient stone 
walls, thick and straight and frequently intersected 
by other similar walls. These walls were made of 

[75] 



OTIIKU DAYS IX GREENWICH 

boulders tluit could he drawn only by foin- ])air of 
oxen and lifted to their ])lace by a derrick. Walls 
were thus fre(juent because of the su])])lv of stone 
duo' from the earth, to make the cultivated tields. 

Not far from the Edoewood Inn, wliich, with the 
Park of the same uame, occupies a small poi-tion of 
the Thomas A. oNlead farm, one may still see a few 
examples of the wall-building skill of the generation 
that lived before and just after the Revolution. 
There are still remaining sliort })ieces of old walls, 
covered with moss and vines, so wide that a horse and 
buggy could be driven along tlie toj). Rut most of 
the old walls have been broken to pieces and are 
occupying their place in modern house construction. 

The old homestead at Rock Ridge was owned and 
occupied by two men of the same name — Zaccheus 
Mead. The tirst was tlie grandfather of the second, 
but I have no knowledge of the generation between, 
except that Job and Elsie were the parents of 
Zaccheus. 

However, the old homestead and its one hundred 
and fifty acres went, by will, from grandfather to 
grandson of the same name. 

Opposite the "Roulders'' now the home of E. R. 
Close, the rock caverns of that jagged granite pile, 
rising more than fifty feet in height, afforded a safe 
hiding ])lace, when the Rritish red coats made life 
unc()mf()rtal)le for the Greenwich patriots. There 
was no road neai" there when 1 was a boy, buf one 
(lav, going through those woods in companv with my 

[7<i] 



ROCKRIDGE AND DEARl lEI.U 

father and Col. Thomas, as ^Ir. ^lead was ahnost 
always called, the latter pointed out the rocks as the 
hiding place of refugees during the war. It wasnt 
quite clear to me what was meant hy refugees but 
the words sounded spookish. and tlie surrounding 
dense woods, with the nuu'mur of Horseneck Rrook. 




/,Al (, lllA > MKAU iiO.MK.-,! I. A h 
In 1S.3C) 

were not agreeable to my nerves and I never go 
through there without recalling the incident. The 
brook is the same and so are the trees and rocks but 
the human habitations have taken away all the som- 
ber mystery of my first visit. 

It is possible that the old homestead still standing 
supplanted one earlier built, but I am inclined to be- 

[TT] 



OTTTKU DAVS TX CxKEKXAVTCTT 

hvw that the first oir', an old sweep-hack, was pi-ol)- 
ahly enhiroed and iin])roved, thus creatino- tlie present 
huihling. Hnt wliether so or not the ])i-esent lionse 
is the oldest in Uoek Kidi»X'. 

Inside I heheve it is aj)|)i'()priately furnished in 
anti(jue and certainly with much nioi'e luxur\' than 
^vas en.joyed l)y either of its foi-uier ()eeii])ants. 

The first Zaeelieus was an ohl man when lie died, 
October 27. 184(>. Having lived all his life in the 
old place lie had (gathered abont him a few Windsor 
chairs, as well as some straio-ht back rnsh bottoms, 
and on a winter night, when the great o})en fire])lace 
was the only means of heating the living room, the 
big high-backed settle was the most comfortable spot 
in which to crack nuts, eat a])])les or drink cider be- 
fore the cheerfnl fire. 

If some of the Rock Ridge folks could see the 
house as it was then, how they would wax enthusi- 
astic over the ancient high-posted and canopied })eds, 
the mahogany ta})les and brass warming pans; the 
blue dishes in the corner cu])boards and all those 
qnaint and lowly things that made the Colonial honse- 
keeper contented and haj)py. He had all these 
things because they and many more articles are 
enumerated in the inventory of his estate. Reyond 
these simple articles of personal })roperty he had 
nothing lint the wagon, the pung and the chaise. 

Zaccheus made his will on the 1.5th day of April, 
18;33,- — thirteen years before his death. And thereby 
the old farm went to the gi-andson. Zaccheus, subject 

[7H] 



ROCKRIDGE AND DEARFIELD 

to the life use of one-tliird by tlie widow. Her name 
w^as Deborah and she continued to enjoy her hfe 
estate until September 8, 1853. 

The old man gave Deborah only tlie use of one- 




ZACCHKL'S -MEAD Jnd 

1T9S-18T:2 

third of the farm and the buildings and he must have 
strained a point in his conception of the law of dower 
when he gave her the unrestricted use of all his house- 
hold furniture "except the clock and birch bedstead 
and bed and bedding and warming pan." The clock 
was a tall one that stood in the living room while the 

[79] 



OTHER DAYS IX (iRKPLXWICIT 

banjo c'lofk tliat liiiiiii' in \hv hall was called the time- 
piece. 

AVhat has become of* all those interesting- old I'elics^ 
'I'hey must have remained in the homestead many 
years, but I imat>ine that finally when the clock ajid 
the time])iece, in the days of a later generation re- 
fused to go, tliey were discarded for modern ones on 
the theory th.at they were old and all worn out. 1 
tlnnk the second Zaccheus must have kept them, be- 
cause as I recall him, during war times, he was just 
such an old-fashioned man as would hold on to the 
goods of his ancestors. He was accustomed to drive 
along the dusty road every Sunday in his antique 
wagon drawn by a fat and logy gr^iy horse, headed 
for the Second Congregational Church, where he 
stayed till the close of tlie afternoon service at three 
o'clock. His wife and his only child, Hannah R. 
Mead, were always with him. 

Many are still living who recall with interest the 
members of this quaint family. 

Hannah came into possession of the farm in the 
spring of 187'i and there she and her mother lived, 
honored and respected by all who knew them. 

Hannah died in 1882 and her mother. Laura 
^lead, contimied to live in the old homestead until 
January l.*3, 189.5. AUhough she outlived her daugh- 
ter so many years she was kindly cared for by 
Nathaniel Witherell who supplied her with every 
comfort in her last days. 

Why Nathaniel Witherell? 

[80] 




y^?2^. ^/ ,^^1^^ 



isn-i!)()() 



ROCKRIDGE AXD DEARFTKT D 

Hannah R, Mead was a very ...^ - " 
In her last will ?he -^i^e lezscv -i^ztr .-_ 
beneTolent socie: — .- . _ 

VVhUe she reserved to her r v " " 

was practically nothing left oui lie 
and the farm. The old lady could M::ircr-' :- :::x- 
pected to get a livirj :^' i pay her taxes ir- p: -''"e 
sale of produce. T had rasped. 

As I look over Rock Ridsie e its l-r 

villas. : IS and productive _ - 

to reaiize liiai less than twenty-tive vcitrs a^jo ii=e 

whole place was solemnly :". ' - - 

sand dollars. And what :- - 

that appraisal is three th-^iisai . ~ — : 

was after the death - st Zaccheus in 1846. 

I am not criticizing the appraisers ! 
ing out the fact that two generations a^i 
had a greater value than they ' _ ^ . 

because the value was estimate.. .- :.. .. . ...iive- 

ness. In 1846 they were making their ^wneT^ rich. 
Did you ever notice the old potato ce. :\ 

Island and on many of the way b: 

In 187- all this was changed. The s^icat west had 
used up the eastern farmer and farms were ' " • - 
salable. Xow that is all changed again. Tl„ „ .: 
mobile has made the distant farm available and the 
fruit-grower has discovered that the Xew England 
apple is the best of all. 

Tlie farm being in the market, Mr. Withertrii 
bought it with the widow's life estate remaining. 

[8.3] 



oTiiKK DAYS IX (;i{p:fa \\ IC II 

This is how lie j^ot it. Kvcryhody, cspcciully, a iiiis- 
sioiiarv society or a struo'<>"hn<>' eolle<^'e, is lookini^' for 
the present I'ather tliaii the future dolhir. And a long 
list of (juit-claini deeds from all the heneficiaries 
under Hannah K. Mead's will sliows how tlie title 
]:)assed. It was an uneertainty how \ou<y; the life 
tenant would be an encumbrance, l)ut three years be- 
fore her death INIr. Witherell gathered in all the 
shares and became the owner. 

And how fortunate for the old lady tliat he did, 
for while the various benevolent societies were con- 
ducting their ojjerations in foreign lands they miglit 
not have been so attentive to the aged life tenant at 
Rock Kidge as was ^Ir. AVitherell. 

Th.e records are silent as to the cost of Rock Ridge 
but I have it on very good authority that it was 

e$ 14,500. 

The roads and avenues were laid out, sewer and 
water pipes introduced and when the park was all 
completed three acre plots sold for $1.5,000. 

Such transactions as this account for the remark- 
a})le growth of Cxreenwich. 

In 1872 the Zaccheus JNIead farm was assessed at 
$12,000, l)ut now Rock Ridge, with all its improve- 
ments, pays taxes on an assessment fifty times greater 
than that insignificant amount. 

Not long after Mr. Witherell came to Greenwich 
he opened a Fresh Air Home for children at Indian 
Field. At that time the Isaac Howe ^lead home- 
stead was standing, and liere he located "The Fold," 

[Hi] 



ROCKRIDGE AND DEARFIELD 

as the home was ealled. But he discovered that no 
facihties for obtaining water existed, and for this 
reason lie moved "The Fold" to Rock Ridge. It was 
located on the cedar knoll now occupied by William 
F. Decker's handsome bungalow. Not less than two 
hundred children were cared for at one time. 

In a house nearby called "Cherryvale," owned by 
JMr. Witherell, for six consecutive seasons the Work- 
ing Girls' Vacation Society of New York gave health- 
ful rest and recreation to the hard working girls, 
thirty-five at a time. 

As the town grew these institutions were found to 
be too near the village, and their abandonment was 
deemed advisable. 



[85] 



CHAPTER VIII 

THE THEODORE H. MEAD 1 AlOI 

THE farms lying to the east of the vilhi«>-e he- 
longed to Theodore H. JNIead, Philander But- 
ton and Titus Mead. The Titus Mead farm will he 
considered later and an allusion to the Button farm 
is included in one of the chapters devoted to AVilliam 
U. Tweed. 

The Theodore H. ^Nlead farm consisted of sixty- 
five acres, according to the record, hut was actually 
ahout eighty acres in extent. It included the ancient 
house at the foot of Putnam Hill, now owned hy 
John ]Maher. It was from the front porch of this 
house, in the early morning of Fehruary 20, 1770, 
that Gen. Ebenezer ]Mead saw Gen. Putnam make 
liis famous escape from the British dragoons. It 
was the General's grandson, Theodore, who owned 
and occupied the house when I first saw it. 

It is difficult now to realize that in 1859 Theodore 
H. jNIead was only thirty-seven years old and that 
when he died, January 18, 1876, he was hut fifty-four 
years old. He always seemed an elderly man. owing 
perhaps to the fact that my eyes were youthful and 
also to the ])eculiar mode of dress ad()])te(l hy Mr. 
]Mead. He alwavs wore a slouch hat, a shirt that 

[86] 



THE THEODORE H. MEAD FARM 

was decidedly negligee and trousers thrust into the 
tops of boots that were never blacked. He rarely 
wore a coat. He had the habit of riding to the vil- 
lage for his mail, without a saddle and often without 
a bridle. There was nothing about the man or about 
his farm suggestive of tidiness. The bars were 
generally down and his cattle out. 

And yet, notwithstanding these defects, he was a 
man well born and well schooled. He was proud of 
his ancestry and of th.e fact that he was born in the 
old homestead at the foot of Putnam Hill that had 
housed his warrior grandsire. His wife was the 
daughter of Rev. William Cooper ^lead, D.D., 
LL.D., of Norwalk, an eminent divine well known 
throughout New England. 

His father married twice and he was the youngest 
of eleven children. He had a half-brother, Rev. 
Ebenezer Mead, who was a Congregational minister. 

He often expressed the regret that his father was 
not able to afford him a liberal and professional edu- 
cation. He died in the same room in which he was 
born. 

He had converted the ten acre meadow into a pond, 
since known as "Ten Acres," splendid for skating but 
used for the purpose of gathering ice and for many 
years he alone dealt in it. Just east of the home- 
stead was a mill site, still extant, which afforded ex- 
cellent water power by which a saw mill and cider 
mill were in commission all the year round. It is 
only a few vears ago that the mill was removed but 

[87] 



OTHER DAYS IX GKEEXW R II 

the ])on(I remains an ornament to the Milton C 
Nichols })laee, recently erected near it. 

Givint^' attention to the mill and ice crop e\|)lained 
in part why the fai'm was not more carefully culti- 
vated. Eurthermore his sixty-five aci'cs included 
considerahle woodland fi'om which wood was carted 
to various peo})le ahout the villa<4e and in Cos C'oh. 
The halance, devoted to cultivation, was prohahly no 
more than enouoh to maintain his oxen, a few cows, 
slice]) and a ])air of horses. 

Another reason for the lack of attention <>iven to 
the farm and mill was Mr. Mead's growing- passion 
for speculation. 

He was always in a hurry to get rich and followed 
tlie o-old market with a vigilant eye. During tlie 
war of 18()1 and up to 1870 gold was at a ])remium 
over currency which necessitated its ])urchase in the 
open market when re(|uired for mercantile pur])oses 
or the payment of customs duties. The gold hoard 
in Xew York city, as the exchange was called, was 
opened to trade in gold coin, just as stocks are in the 
regular exchange. 

Frequently gold fluctuated ra])i(lly and many 
countrymen, like Mr. ^lead, were interested in hny- 
ing and selling for a (juick profit. He was therefore 
always a horrower and constantly in trouhle with 
small local creditors. A large numher of attach- 
ments were filed against his farm and sometimes 
judgments were entered against him. This condi- 
tion of aff'aii-s arose from his inattention to husiness 

[88] 



THE THEODORE H. MEAD FARM 

and not because he desired to ignore the demands of 
crecHtors. Wlienever he was sued he took it as a 
matter of course, paid the costs, treated the sheriff 
to a glass of cider and repeated the operation two or 
three times within the next week. 

Volume 39 of the land records devoted to real 
estate attachments tells the full story of Theodore's 
trou])les, though perhaps I ought not to characterize 
them thus for JMr. JNIead rarely was troubled with 
anything. 

He liked children, perhaps because he had none of 
his own. When the Cos Cob l)oys, students at tlie 
Academy, came up the hill by tlie mill — a very steep 
hill that long ago disappeared under modern grading 
and road making — he would often call them in and 
removing tlie bung of a barrel filled with sweet cider 
supply them witli the necessary straws. If the cider 
w^as running through the spout from the press he 
would hand them a tin cup with which to drink their 
fill. In winter these same boys and many others 
hel])ed to tloat the ice cakes down to the slide. 

On one occasion ]Mr. Mead was invited to attend the 
annual dinner of tlie New England Society in the 
City of New York and promptly accepted. 

He went with my father and I then realized that 
Theodore H. Mead, dressed in dark clothes, with 
polished boots and a silk hat, was a very handsome 
man. Once riding along on a bay nag that seemed 
too frail to carry him, he drew up in front of the 
Academv, then on the corner where Dr. F. C. Hvde's 

[89] 



OTHER DAYS IX GREENWICH 

house stands, Aviiilc tlie boys were enjoying tlie noon 
recess. Calling us around him he told the story of 
Putnanrs ride giving it to us just as he had heard it 
from the lips of his grandfather, an eye witness. 

AVhen Mr. Mead died his creditors \\ ere numerous 
and eventually his estate was settled as an insolvent 
estate. 

Col. Thomas A. ^Nlead had loaned him ten thou- 
sand dollars made up of various small sums and his 
appeal from the commissioners on Theodore's estate 
furnishes some law, still uiu'evoked. It is only neces- 
sary for me to refer to the 46 Vol. of Conn. Reports, 
page 417, and to suggest that if the details of a 
financial wreck are interesting they may there he 
found. 

I started to tell about the farm but luive devoted 
most of the chapter to its eccentric owner. 

The estate being insolvent all of the farm was sold 
at auction by order of the Court of Probate. It was 
a rainy morning in the spring of 1881, and yet there 
was a good deal of money in the crowd that gathered 
about the auctioneer, in front of the old homestead. 
The sixty-five acres, with ice house, nu'll right, 
barns and the grand old Colonial house, brought only 
$5,400, less than $100 an acre. The widow, Cornelia 
J. Mead, was then living and as the ])ro])erty M'as 
sold subject to her dower it had an influence to de- 
press the price. 

Subsequently, Solomon JNIead, John Dayton and 
Allen H. Close, as distributors appointed by the 

[90] 



THE THEODORE H. MEAD FARM 

court, set out to her the use for hfe of the house and 
about four acres of land. 

She died on the 26th day of October. 1881. The 
property went to Henry Wel)b and afterwards to 
John ]Maher and much of their fortune may be traced 
to that fortunate purchase on that rainy spring morn- 
ino- in 1881. If vou ask the genial ice and coal 
dealer, John :Maher, how much he has made out of 




U 11 I'.lt.MIl.K I A 1,1. > 



Photo by I. L. Metid 

the farm lie will respond with a jolly laugh and noth- 
ing more. Tlie small parcel recently sold is said to 
have brought 5i<2(),00(). 

The farm included a large tract on the south side 
of the road now included in ]Milbank and the famous 
and romantic Buttermilk Falls tract on the north. 
Here are the homes of E. Belcher ^Nlead and J. ^I. 
JNIenendez, with rustic ledges, beautiful trees, the ever 
murmuring brook and tlie view of Long Island Sound. 

[91] 



E 



CHAPTKK IX 

thp: TITUS :sn:Ai) iak.^i 
\ KliV one knows Titus Mead's hill, it is one 



of the ohl names tliat still remain. It is appro- 
])riate. for at its erest. for many years lived a farmei- 
of that name. The line of splendid maple trees alon^' 
the road side was planted hy him nearly ninety years 
ago. 

He died .Mareh '2(k !«()<). at the age of sixty-five 
years. By him were l)uilt some of the stone walls 
that divide the fields and many of tlie (h'ains that have 
made the land so fertile. He was })r()minent in town 
affairs, when 1 was a hoy. and for many years was 
Town Treasurer. 

His wife was I.ney ]Mnmford ^Nlead, daughter of 
Andrew ^lead, who died April 21, 1821, "a patriot 
of the Revolution," according to his epitaph. 

Titus ^Nlead was one of the wealthy men of his 
time. He had a large and profitable farm, with a 
short haul to the market sloops. The inven.tory of 
his estate reveals only the choicest securities and a 
long list of local mortgages. 

He was a liberal man. As the treasurer of a cer- 
tain lodge, in the village it was said tliat he alwavs 

[92] 



THE TITUS MEAD FAK.Al 

\)'cU(\ tlie })ill.s althougli thfv wei'e I'ai in excts.s of the 
rteeipls for wliich lie was always imaiiiiiiously I'e- 
elected. 

He wrote his own will, using' a [ji'inted blank in 
whieh it was necessary only to insert tlie name of 
liis wife as sole legatee and devisee. He executed 
it July 9, 18(52. which fact would apjjcai- of no 
moment excejjt that the names of the subscrihing 




TITLS .mi:ai) ho.mkstkad 

In is.ji) 

witnesses bring back to me a vivid recollection of an 
old wheelwright's shop shaded by a mammoth bntton- 
ball tree which stood where the First Presbyterian 
Church now^ stands. Joseph E. Russell ran the shop 
and George S. Ray worked for him. Samuel Close, 
the Town Clerk and Justice of the Peace, had his 
office near-by. This office is fully descril)ed in Chaj)- 
ter III of this volume. 

These three men witnessed the execution of the will 
and we can readily imagine Squire Close calling the 
other two to come across to his little office, while the 

[93] 



OTHKR DAYS IX GREEXWICTI 



slu)]) was lei't alone, witlioiit danger of anyone eall- 
Jng- (luring those (lull days. 

Titus ^Mead's widow outlived liini twenty-two 
years and many of her personal friends survive her. 
She was a delightful lady of the old school and it 
always gave me the greatest pleasure to call upon her. 
The year after her hus})an(rs death, in 1870. she 
built the house on lower X'orth Street since veiy 

much enlarged by the late 
H. P. Wliit taker, and 
now belonging to his es- 
tate. He called the place 
Prescourt. 

Eiving in the village 
was much more to her 
taste, than living in the 
old farmhouse at the top 
of the hill, aftei- her hus- 
h'cuu] had gone. But she 
thought a great deal of 
the place and although she had many offers she would 
not part with it. She did, however, sell many acres of 
her farm, including Crest View to Henry C. Boswell, 
and the William H. Teed and Thomas Young tracts. 
"The Chimneys" and "Athelcroft" were built by 
Clarence ]M. Hyde and his late brother on a jjortion of 
iNIrs. Mead's farm. It became the good fortune later 
of ^Irs. ^Nlary E. Andrews to purchase from the I^ucy 
]M. ^lead estate the valuable tract u])on wliich stands 
the fine house built by her and since her decease 

'[94] 




MRS. LUCY Ml MFORD MEAD 

1810-1891 



THE TITUS MEAD FARM 

owned by her dauohter, Mrs. F. Kissam Brown. She 
also owns the old Titus Mead homestead and she and 
her husband have shown their wisdom and good taste 
in retaining- the old house much as it appeared, in 
the days that followed the Revolution wlien it was 
one of the mansions of the town. 

Adjoining the Titus JNIead farm on the south lies 



1f 'l^S^ 

f- .'■is* r 




PUTXAM COTTAGE 

'Ihe home for iierly a ceiitury of Hezekiah and John J. 
Trac-v, fatlicr and son 

territory Ihat h.as an interesting Revolutionary his- 
tory. 

In 177.5 Israel Knapp lived in what is now known 
as Putnam cottage. He also owned many acres in 
the neighborhood of "Great Hill" as it was called be- 
fore Putnam's exploit. Dying without a will his 
land descended to his widow and heirs who subse- 
quently sold it to Reuben Holmes. He was a man 
of character, education, and standing; by profession 
a teacher, by trade a shoemaker. He had a large 

[93] 



OTHER DAYS IX (iUKEXWICII 

family and their support taxed his abilities to the ut- 
most. In his school by day, he sat on his bencli at 
night and was not satisfied if he failed to finish half 
a dozen pair of shoes weekly. 

But finally he abandoned the struggle, sold his real 
estate August 1(). 182.3, and moved to wliat was then 
the far west, Geneva, Cayuga County, New York. 
]Mrs. Hannah ]Mead bought tlie property consisting 
of thirty-two acres, for $3,500. She was the widow 
of Joshua ^lead who died early in life leaving an 
only child, Solomon, so well known to thi- {)resent 
generation. This parcel of land extended north and 
included land now owned by tlte Parmelee J. ^IcFad- 
den estate. 

One of the daughters of Israel Knapp was Amy 
K. Thompson, who appears to have retained an in- 
terest in her father's land and upon her decease her 
four children, Harriet, Cornelia, James and Caroline, 
conveyed it to Solomon jNIead's motlier. 

^Iy. ^lead always spoke of his mother with great 
admiration and affection and all her transactions indi- 
cate that she was a woman of unusual ability. She 
died March 14, 1844. at the age of 79, leaving Solo- 
mon as her sole heir at law. 

Solomon JNIead was a prominent man in (rreenwich 
all his life and at his decease June 14, 1898, it was 
found th.at he was worth more than any other native 
of the town who had i)assed his days here. 

He was an intelligent, practical and painstaking 
man. \Vhile his mother owned the little farm of 



THE TITUS MEAD FARM 

thirty-one acres, M^iich she never enennil)ered, he 
made many imi^rovements upon the property. The 
l)hn(l ditches he laid for drainage purposes still re- 





IS()S-1S!)S 



main to attest his skillful, scientific handlino- of the 
property. 

Its present appearance, due to clianoe in fence 
lines, opening of highways, demolition of old huild- 
ings, the erection of new ones, and the nlantino- of 

[97] 



OTHER DAYS IX (;RKEXWICH 

fruit and ornamental trees — is very different from 
its api)earanee eiglity years a<>'o. 

Long before my remembrance an old hon.se and a 
barn stood near tlie highway between the present 
AVhittaker and ^IcFadden places. Not many years 
ago I found the old well near the present line of high- 
way in front of the old cellar hole. These old build- 
ings are immortalized in Daniel JNIerritt ]\Iead's his- 
tory of Greenwich, jDages 156, 157 and 158. 

After the tenancy of tlie Holmes family in the Put- 
nam cottage it was owned and occupied by Hezekiah 
and John Jay Tracy, father and son. for nearly a 
century. They were both men of attainments and 
they each occupied the office of Town Clerk for many 
years. John Jay was secretary of the Tammany So- 
ciety in Xew York. The public records kept by 
these men are models of penmanship at a time wlien a 
quill pen only was used. 

For many years the street running near the Put- 
nam cottage througli land of A. Foster Higgins was 
appropriately called Tracy Street. Its present name 
of Park Avenue has no particular significance. 

Prior to 1858 Solomon ^Nlead lived in an old fash- 
ioned swee])-back, standing just inside the gateway 
leading to the stone mansion erected by him in 1854- 
1858. The house is known as X^o. 48 INIaple Avenue 
and has recently been occupied by the family of 
William Cooney. After the completion of the new 
residence, in 1859, the old one was removed. It was 
a prototvpe of the old Jared ]Mead house, described 

[98] 



THE TITUS MEAD FARM 

in Chapter XIV. Under its front windows were 
bunches of phlox and some marigolds were nodding 
in the summer breeze when I first saw it. It had a 
comfortable "sit down" appearance, characteristic of 
all the old gray shingle, low studded sweep-backs of 
the eighteenth century. Xear its north end was the 
well house in which an empty bucket hung over 
the curb. It was overshadowed by the great stone 
house which was then completed, and it was only a 
short time afterward that it disappeared and the old 
cellar hole was filled. 

]Mr. JNIead began to build the present stone house 
in 1854 and completed it in 18.58. The method of 
thorough construction adopted by its owner attracted 
wide attention. The walls were hollow to prevent 
dampness and the stones were laid up in shell lime. 

Mr. JNIead has often told me that in those days, 
from his front piazza, he enjoyed an unobstructed 
view of Long Island Sound as far east as the Nor- 
walk Islands. But in late years the shade trees 
growing tall and rank have destroyed much of the 
summer view. 



[90] 



C HAPTKR X 

THE SKC'ONl) C()X(iKK(JA'l'I()XAI, (Ill'UCir 

OX November 0, IDKI, will oeeiir the two liuii- 
(Iredth anniversary of the establishment of the 
Second ContJ-regational Church. The one hundred 
and fiftieth anniversary was held in 18(K) and was 
one of the most important that ever occurred in 
Greenwich. A similar occasion in these days would 
cause less interest outside the church memhershi]). 
because the |)()])ulation is lai'ger, more varied in I'e- 
ligious faith, and perhaps more secular in disposition. 
But the celebration in 1860 was largely attended and 
created among the members of all religious sects a 
general interest. 

The present stone church, a creation of Leopold 
Eidlitz, one of the most famous church architects of 
the Nineteenth century, arouses the admiration of 
every resident of (xreenwich, whatever his creed or 
nationality. 

It was built in 18,5() under somewhat peculiar cir- 
cmnstances. Its predecessors had been compai'a- 
tively cheap, wooden aff'aii's and when the building 
of a new church was agitated Mr. Robert Williams 
Mead led the minoi'ity in advocating the construction 

[100] 



SECOND c()xgkk(;atioxal church 

of the present building-. Not only plans Init a per- 
fect model in plaster were shown, displaying tlie 
splendid proportions and lines of the proposed 
church. 




'4M0 




KOBHKT W. .MKAI) 
1S14 1875 

The proposition was strongly opposed on the 
ground of expense, but finally when Mr. Mead de- 
clared it could be built for thirty thousand dollars 
someone at the cliurch meeting expressed a doubt as 
to his ability to find a contractor to undertake the 
M'ork at that price. It is not unlikely that Mr. Mead 

[101] 



OTHER DAYS IX CiUEEXWK II 

realized this, for he promptly replied tliat lie would 
take the contraet himself. 

He was not a eoiitraetor and nevei" had l)een one, 
hut he built the ehureh and when the thirty thousand 
dollar appropriation was exhausted he sold his own 
seeurities to continue and complete the huildino-. 

His monument stands near the church and hears 
the same inscription that is cut in the toml) of Sir 
Christopher Wren in St. Pauls, London, ''Si iiioiin- 
mentum quarae circumspice" — "If you would see his 
monument look about." 

I fear that Robert AVilliams JNIead never received 
half the credit that should have been his for buildino- 
the handsomest church spire in Xew En.gland. 

He was a son of Dr. Darius ^lead, whose home 
was on the crest of Putnam Hill. He had made a 
fortune in mercantile pursuits in Xew ^"ork City. 
When he built the church he resided in the liouse now 
owned and occupied by his nephew, Frederick ]Mead. 
On April 11, 1804, he sold this property to D. Jack- 
son Steward, who held it till April 15, 1868, when he 
sold it to Edward Slosson, a retired X"ew Vork 
lawyer. jNIrs. Annie Turnbull Slosson, his widow, 
a well-known writer, now resides in X"ew York. 
After the death of ^Ir. Slosson, by a deed dated ^lay 
28, 1872, the property went to Frederick ^lead, the 
father of its present owner. 

The interior of the chuivh was remodeled in li)()(). 
at an expense of about thii'ty thousand dollars. 
Those who had the matter in hand ))i-ohablv acted 

[102] 




2si) tOXCUKCATIOXAL C'Hl'KCII IN Is)!* 
(No cIiH-k at tliat time) 
Pastors: Hev. Dr. Joel H. Linsley. Kev. Dr. Frederick G. C'lai 
Rev. Dr. George A. CJordon 



SECOND COXGRKCxATIOXAL CHURCH 

for tlie best interests of the cliureh. However, such 
a radical change was a great disappointment to me. 

Tliere is one incident in connection witli the build- 
ing of this churcli that should not })e omitted. When 
it was fully completed with the outside scatf'olding 
still surrounding the spire several ladies, members 
of the church, climbed on open ladders, from scaf- 
fold to scaft'old, till they reached the circular caj) 
stone, eight feet in diameter, around which they sat 
and ate their supper, undisturbed by the fact that 
they were two hundred and twelve feet above the 
ground. 3Irs. Julia A. Button, ]Miss Clarissa ^Nlead 
and "Sirs. Edward ^Nlead were among the mimber. 

Rut to recur to the celebration of 18()(j. It comes 
back to me like an occurrence of yesterday. Per- 
ha]Ls its most remarkable feature was the historical 
address by Rev. Joel H. Einsley. D.I)., which was 
his last public effort. He had been the pastor of the 
church for nineteen years and was then the honorary 
hut retired pastor. His address, finished and schol- 
arly, was re])lete with matters of local history and 
startling in its proi)hetic 2)ortrayal of the speaker's 
vision of the future, in these words. 

"This town will not for many years, if ever, be a 
place distinguished for business or rapid advance in 
population. On this very account it is all the better 
for a place of (juiet homes, and as a seat for the best 
educational institutions." 

The committee of arrangements consisted of Dea- 
con Philander Rutton. Deacon Jonas ^lead. Dr. T. 

[105] 



OTHER DAYS IX GRKKXWICH 

S. Pimieo. William A. Howe and Edward P. Holly. 
They were appointed at a meeting of the ehureh held 
in March, 18G6. 

13in-ing the summer the work of arranging details 
became so onerous that the committee was enlarged 
by adding the following men: Isaac E. Mead, Alex- 
ander Mead, Z()j)har Mead, Shadrach M. Brush, Ben- 
jamin W^right, Arthur D. ^lead, (xcorge H. Mills, 
Gideon Reynolds and the following ladies: ]Mrs. Ed- 
ward Mead, ^Nlrs. Philander Button, Mrs. T. S. 
Pinneo, ^Irs. Joseph Brush, Mrs. xVugustus X. 
Reynolds, "Sirs. Benjamin Wright, ]Mrs. Elizabeth 
S. Hoyt, ^Nlrs. Stephen Holly, ^Irs. Moses Cristy, 
]Mrs. X'ehemiah Howe, JNlrs. Daniel JNIerritt ^Nlead, 
INIrs. Charles H. Seaman, JNIrs. William B. Sher- 
wood, Mrs, Thomas Ritch, JVIrs. Lockwood P. Clark, 
]Mrs. Caleb Holmes, ^Nlrs. Alfred Bell, Mrs. Isaac 
Peck, ]Mrs. Jabez ^Nlead, ]Mrs. Stephen G. White, 
Mrs. Henry M. Bailey, ]Mrs. William T. Reynolds, 
JNIrs. Eewis A. ^lerritt, 3Iiss Hannah ^I. ^Nlead, ^liss 
Eliza J. Scofield, JNIrs. Joseph E. Russell, Miss 
Louisa Mead. 

As I write these names their owners' faces all come 
back to me. Of the committee of men four survive 
and but one of the committee of women is liv- 
ing. 

The day w^as one of the finest of the season. It 
was one of those glorious autumn days for which 
Greenwich has always been so famous and when 
(loul t often arises whether there is more beauty in 

[KHI] 



SECOND COXGREGATIOXAL CHURCH 

the blue waters of the Sound or in the wealth of forest 
trees, flaming with scarlet and orange. 

The church was decorated with festoons and 
wreaths of evergreen, tastefully interwoven with au- 
tumn flowers. Upon the wall over the speakers' 
platform, in the rear of where the organ now stands 
was the following inscription: 

IX THE PLACE OF THE FATHERS ARE THE CHILDREN 

1716 

OUR father's god is our god 
The printed programme, a copy of which lies he- 
fore me, announced the following order of exercises. 

1. Invocation, REv. platt t. holly 

2. Beading the Scriptures rev. f. g. clark, d.d. 

3. Anthem — "O, How Lovely is Zion." 

4. Praner rev. joel 3i anx 
.5. Historical Discourse rev. j. h. lixsley, d.d. 

6. Praifcr REv. samuel howe 

7. Anthem — "Praise Ye the Lord." 

8. Benediction Rev. stephex hudbell 

Recess For Collatiox 
p. M. 

9. Anthem. 

10. Welcoming Address rev. w. h. h. :murray 

11. Historical Paper william a. howe 

12. Anthem 

13. History Stillson Benevolent Society 

DR. T. S. PIXXEO 

Would it be possible in this generation to hold an 
audience on such an occasion all day long? 

[107] 



OTHER DAYS IX GKEEXW ICH 

Thu historical address, as I liave stated, was tlie 
crowning- effort of Dr. l^insley's busy life. lie died 
Marcli 22. 18('»S. It may not be amiss to quote here 
the peroi'ation of that discourse. 

"This is. my hearers, of all the days since Feaks 
and Patrick cut tlie waves of the Sound with their 
light boat, fastened her to Elizabeth Xeck. and by 
peaceful pvu'chase took possession of these fair fields 
for civilized man. the best and brightest, the one in 
which it is the greatest i)rivilege to live. 

"That our children and children's children are to 
see a still brighter one, 1 liope, nay, I believe. 

"And when we scatter at the close of this auspicious 
occasion from this beloved hill of Zion, let us retire 
with gratitude for what our fath.ers bequeathed to 
us from the past; with rejoicing in the present, tliat 
the lines have fallen to us in pleasant places, and with 
full purpose of heart, that, Cxod helping us. we will 
transmit a still richer inheritance to those who sh.all 
come after us. even to the latest generations." 

The afternoon session opened with an address of 
welcome by Rev. W. H. H. IMurray which seemed 
to be ])ai'ticulai-ly directed to the ministers present 
who had formerly been pastors of the church. 

]Mr, ^lurray was at tliat time a young man of 
twenty-six years and acting ])ast()r of the church. 
To most of the guests he was unknown, but the ad- 
dress of welcome thrilled every soul and left such an 
impression that tlie memory of Murray was never 
dimmed. 

[108] 



SECOND COXGREGATIOXAL CHURCH 

I recall distinctly, how in the midst of his address, 
he ran his fingers through his thick, raven locks and, 
turning his massive figure towards Rev. Joel ^^lann, 
the oldest ex-pastor, said: "But more especially do 
we rejoice that you, tlie most aged of this group, 
whose sun, though glowing and bright, is near the 
border of the horizon, should once more be with us, 
to behold and be made happy at the sight of our 
prosperity, before the shadows deepen farther, and 
you, passing through them, be lost to our eyes. 

"It is well, too, that tliose of us in this coneTegation 
whose heads, in the passage of years, have whitened 
with yours, should see once more the familiar faces, 
the countenances of former an.d still beloved pastors, 
before that hand, which, smites the cloud for all, 
smites it asunder for us, and our eyes close on ter- 
restrial objects forever." 

I think the most touching incident of the day oc- 
curred at its close, when Mr. INIurray rose and said : 
"There is one man, my good friends, who did you a 
service to-day which ^ve cannot too highly appreciate. 
The graces have been alluded to, and it is well they 
should be: but before ^^■e go out let us rememl)er the 
cradles. There are ears too young to hear our speech 
to-night, and eyes not yet instructed in vision, so that 
they may read the motto above our heads ; and there 
is one man sitting here before you w^ho has done a 
service for this class that I can not overrate. A hand 
has been reached into the past; into the dark past of 
tradition, and out of it fetched something more vahi- 

[109] 



OTHER DAYS IX GREEXWICH 

able than <>()1(1; and it is more pleasant for nie to 
think of it, because that hand is aged, and whether it 
reaches backward or forward, it will reach not many 
years again. The man who has done you a service 
you can never repay is Rev. Dr. Linsley, We 
cannot consen^t to separate until tliis aged man, 
wlio has long })een your teacher, and who has done 
you such service, shall have received a public expres- 
sion of your respect by this audience rising in his 
honor." 

I shall never forget the tlirill that went tlu-ough 
that great audience, as rising to their feet, ^Ir. ^Nlur- 
ray said: "Receive, my aged friend, this mark of a 
peoples' respect. The thanks of men are common, 
but the thanks of the multitude are few." For more 
than forty-six years have I carried in my memory 
the burning incidents of that day. Xo one ])resent 
has lived to forget and again and again has the story 
been told to the new generation, tliose who now 
stand in tlie place of the fathers. 

I cannot conclude this chapter without referring 
to George A. Crordon, D.D., pastor of the old South 
Cliurcli. Boston. He came to Greenwich, as the pas- 
tor of the Second Congregational Church, when he 
was on the sunny side of tliirty. 

He was ):()i-n in Scotland. He has often told of 
his first job in America, when as a gi-eenhorn he 
hired out to a blacksmith, who never paid him. After 
that he took care of the Rev. Mr. Angier's furnace 
in Cambridge who saw that the l)()v had bi-ains and 

[110] 



SECOXD COXGREGATIOXAL CHURCH 

educated him. Tliis same ^Nlr. Angier afterwards 
supplied the pulpit of the Second Congregational 
Church to which Mr. Gordon was subsequently 
called. 

Before these two men met Mr. Gordon had but one 
given name — George, but afterwards Angier was in- 
serted as the middle name. 

iNIr. Angier preaching at Greenwich suggested 
young Gordon for the pastorate and he accepted al- 
though (jualified for a larger field. To a man of his 
ability and resources the Greenwich church was as 
restricted and confining as a flying cage to a skylark. 

And yet when the summons came from the old 
South Church he hesitated. He loved Greenwich 
and his people and they loved him. The town was 
more rural thirty years ago and he loved the country. 
Round Island, Field Point and all the territory near 
were open to his saimterings. His parishioners be- 
sought him not to leave and for two years he heeded 
them and refused to go. 

On the 23d of October, 1912, he came back to 
Greenwich to take part in his old church in the in- 
stallation of Rev. Charles F. Taylor. He was the 
same Gordon, refined and matured. He spoke feel- 
ingly of the other days but nothing he said had more 
pathos and love in it than his allusion to a roll of pa- 
per among his revered treasures. Tied with a blue 
ribbon, the paper once white, but now yellow with 
time, contained six hundred and fifty simia- 
tin-es of those who thus asked him to remain their 

[111] 



orilKK 1)A^'S I\ (;UKK\\VK II 

pastoi". Sonic wvw cliildrtMi. now active iiu-ii aiul 
woiiRii and many w tic old men who have (>()ne to tlie 
hereafter. ^Vnd th.en tnrnin<> to the new pastor lie 
said: "There is the same fonntain of loyalty and love 
here as there Nvas thii'ty years ago." 

There have heen fonr Congregational ehurehes in 
the village, all occupying nearly the same location. 
Of the first house of worship, in which the Rev. .Mr. 
jNIorgan preached, little is known, except that it was 
32x26 and like the one in "Old Town" (now Sound 
Beach) . 

The second was erected in 1730 and was a plain 
barn-like structure, 50x3.5. surmounted by a tower 
which was taken down in 1749. There was a door at 
each end and one in the side. Twenty square pews 
were located about the sides of the house and there 
were five in the south gallery. 

This structure gave way to the third house in 1798. 
It was in this building that stoves were introduced 
in 1818, in the face of great opposition. On the first 
Sunday of their appearance the congregation was 
almost overcome by the heat, but it was learned after 
the service that the stoves contained no tires and that 
the intense heat was but the force of imagination. 

AVhen the foundation for the present building was 
laid, it became necessary to move the old church about 
one hundred feet south. Here it was continued in 
use till December 5, 1858, when Rev. Dr. I^insley de- 
livered in it the last sermon, which was in the form of 
a commemorative discoin'se. 

[112] 






' •^' *.^ 



f5^^j^tj^flWrt***9S^'.jjfrijWhj|!g5wiR^Jl' ^r*' " 







n f ?^ p I I 1 



^ 




KAKl.V CHURCH lU 11. DINGS 
Insert — Hev. Joel Manii 



SECOXD COXGREGATIOXAL CHURCH 

The following year the buildino- was sold to 
Thomas A. ^lead and Amos ^I. Brush, who subse- 
quently moved it to the corner of Putnam Avenue 
and Sherwood Place, tlien :Mechanic Street. 

But before moving it. the steeple was cut down. 
The column.s at the belfry were first sawed nearly off, 
Stephen Sillick and Henry ^Varing Howard, then 
apprentices to Stephen Sherwood, doing the work. 
A long rope h.ad first l^een attached to the top of 
the spire and carried down beyond the Town House 
and tied to an ox cart belonging to Joseph Brush. 
Mr. Brush drove a sturdy pair of cattle, that he 
claimed were equal to pulhng the moon, if he could 
get a line to it. Everything being made fast the 
cattle were started. The line grew taut: the steeple 
bent, then vibrated under the increased tension, while 
tlie ox cart went up in the air. and falling back to 
its place the steeple snapped cart and oxen more 
than fifty feet up the road and landed them in one 
promiscuous heap. The steeple was finally con- 
quered by loading the cart with heavy stones. 

This building, after its removal, has been spoken of 
in Chapter II. Here Dr. Sylvester :Mead first ap- 
peared as the successor of Dr. Aiken in the drug busi- 
ness, and George E. Scofield began to learn the art 
of prescription filling. 

On the afternoon of July 3. 1866. a small boy 
thoughtlessly tossed a lighted fire cracker upon the 
roof of the old church and at sun-set it was a smokino- 
ruin. 

[115] 



OTIIKK 1)A\ S IX (iUKKXW ICH 

Hut the pi'C'stiit clMirch l)iiil(iiii,L>' vwvy one knows, 
or Leopold Kidlit/. an ai-ehiteet of fame, it lias been 
said that of all h.is snecesst'nl designs, none is more 
o-i-ac-erul than that heantil'nl si)ii-e. WHiere ean yon 




HOC'KKKKLI.KK PARK IX ISOO 

The large elm at the left now shades the home of Charles 

A. Taylor on Connecticut Avenue 

drive in (rreenwich and lose sight of it ^ ^'ou see it 
as you ascend every liill. The gleam of its weather 
vane reaches every valley. Between the delicate 
lines of its open columns the setting sun will often 
pierce till it looks as though it were a ])art of the 
aziu'e blue, without a foundation upon earth, resting 
in the clouds. 



[IK!] 



CHAPTER XI 

THE STORY OF A STREET GREENWICH AAT^XUE 

EIGHTY years ago, the road to Piping Point, 
was eighteen feet wide, dusty in summer and 
muddy in winter and yet it was a much, traveled way. 
Did it not lead all Stanwich and Banksville to the 
home of the humble clam, and what Round Hill man 
has not traveled it in search of the hardy black fish? 

How many hundred thousand bushels of potatoes 
have been hauled over it to find their way from 
Daniel Merritt's dock to the city of New York? 
When the crop was ready for the diggers the farmers 
often worked all night under a bright October moon 
and in the early morning their teams Avaited their 
turn to vinload at the dock. 

What is now Arch Street was then the only con- 
tinuation of our present Greenwich Avenue. 

Beyond was the farm of Daniel S. Mead, the 
grandfather of Oliver D. ^Nlead and south of the 
present railway line, on Rocky Xeck, was a forest of 
great trees, beneath which the underbrush grew rank 
and tangled. 

The road to Piping Point, as the old records term 
it, deflected to the southwest from a point near the 
present Police Headquarters, Xo. 270 Greenwich 
Avenue, and ran over the top of a knoll that oc- 

[117] 



OTIIKK DAYS IX (iUKKXWICH 

cupicd what is now the front hiwn of the Iluvenicyer 
school. 

On the ei-est of this knoll, at least twenty feet hin'li, 
stood, within niv reeolleetion. a snnu' httle eottaa'e. 
Xear the front door on the south side of the house a 
long well sweep pointed to the north star and the wa- 
ter that came up in the oaken hucket was eool and 
sweet. How many teamsters have sto])])ed for the 
eoolino' draught and to gossip a moment, with the 
little old lady who lived there! X"ot a house then 
save one from that hill to the head of the creek and 
no trees to shade the cultivated fields. Can you 
imagine the view the little house had from its vine 
emhowered porch? 

Further north on the east side of this same way 
was a never failing spring much thought of hy those 
same teamsters. It huhhled up at the top of a knoll 
on the spot where now stands the Prescott huilding at 
105 Greenwich Avenue, and when that building was 
erected in 1891 the spring was uncovered and at con- 
siderable expense turned into the sewer. It had 
been covered up many years before, when Dr. Lewis 
owned the farm and it was sorely missed. It had 
come to be considered common property and the foot 
path that led to it was worn deep by the passage of 
many feet. It was a cozy nook, too, for the bushes 
grew high above it and kept the sun from its lim])id 
waters. To what degradation has it fallen that it 
should be buried beneath a brick l)uilding and emp- 
tied into a sewer! 

[118] 



THE STORY OF A STREET 

But as early as 18.54 the road had lost much of its 
rural aspect. The railroad, then in operation five 
years, had brought the town nearer to Xew York. 




HENRY M. BENEDICT 
President Gold Exchange Bank, N. Y. 
Warden, Borough of Greenwich 
18:;?4-1896 

Outsiders had discovered the natural beauties of the 
place and had begun to settle here. 

Among those who came about 18.50 was Henry INI. 
Benedict, a man of great ability, of magnificent 

[119] 



OriTKK DAYS IX (iKKKXWICH 

fi<>iir(.' and lai^yc wealth. lie resided on Putnam 
Avenue till 187'3. \\lien he removed to Bi'ooklyn. 
He died in ISUC. at Sunset Tark. X. \. 

Mr. Henediet did not like the I'oad to the (le])ot 
and he set ahout to ha\e it widt-ned. A])|)lieation 
was made to the seleetmeu but there was a general 
op])osition to the scheme. Eighteen feet was deemed 
(juite wide enough, because it had answered the ])ur- 
pose for generations. The selectmen ])erhaps were 
of the same opinion, for nothing was done. Mr. 
Benedict then employed Julius B. Curtis, a young 
lawyer of Greenwich, subsequently located until his 
death in Stamford. He brought an action to the 
County Court, then having jurisdiction, and after 
some time accomplished his purpose and opened the 
road, which then received the name of Greenwich 
Avenue. 

With the widening of the street real estate began 
to look up. It was considered a side street, Putnam 
Avenue, then called JNIain Street, claiming all the pre- 
tensions of a ])usiness thoroughfare. As a residence 
street Greenwich Avenue was considered attractive. 
Any ])art of it commanded a fine Sound view and 
there was no obstruction to the refreshing soutlnvest 
breeze. 

Edwin ^lead, a brother of Daniel S. ^lead, now 
residing in California, at the age of ninety-three, came 
into 2)ossessi()n, by inheritance, of a number of acres 
north of Elm Sti-cet. He had his land surveyed 
and divided into thi'ee-(inarter-acre ])lots. off'ei'ing 

[120] 



THE STORY OF A STREET 




them at six liiiiulred dollars each. In tliose days 
such a plot was considered very small and the price 
asked quite extravagant. 

William ]M. Tiers liought the corner lot, where 
afterwards, for so many 
years resided Dr. T. 
S. Pinneo. Isaac Weed 
bought the plot now occu- 
pied by the library and 
Shadrach M. Brush se- 
cured the plot still owned 
by his sons, S. Augustus 
and Henry L. Brush. 
Most of these sales were 
made in the spring and 
summer of 1855. I have 
avenue in Chapter II, and 
told something of this 
there is very little left to say concerning its progress 
except what is known to this generation, and that is 
not the province of this volume. 

The old town building, now occupied by INIayer H. 
Cohen, is still the property of the town. Its story is 
told in Chapter XX. 

From the head of the avenue was once a steep hill; 
rustic old stone walls were on portions of either side 
and young men and boys found it a convenient place 
to coast in winter, as late as thirt}^ years ago. 

Hanford JNIead had a tannery where Benjamin 
Lockwood's restaurant is located and later, on Sep- 

[121] 



SHADRACH M. BRUSH 

1818-19(« 
In earl\' days did a large business 
at Mianus. Subsequently con- 
ducted Imnber business at Rocky 
Neck. 



OTHER DAYS IX (;KEKXW1C II 

tt'inhfi- 4, 18.54. llciirv Held opened a market in a 
Ixiildin^' he liad erected near the tan vats. He was 
then the ownei' of all the land on the west side of the 
avenue from IV-ter ^\eker\s to C'a})t. Lyon's, where 
the Trust C\)mj)any's huildiuL*- is loeated. 

A Port Cliester newspaper came out with the an- 
nouncement that "Sir. Held was ahout to l)uihl "a 
new, elegant, imposing and commodious market 
building." This was an innovation that was nn- 
looked for and besides it was the ])eginning of a "side 
street" and a street, too, that did not ])ossess popular 
favor. When the newspa})er later came out with a 
description of the building "to be filled with brick 
and surmounted by a lialloon frame," it was the gen- 
eral opinion about the village that anything in the 
n.ature of a balloon, was decidedly unstable, was likely 
to be disastrously affected by air currents, and on 
a windy day would be a menace to those who haj)- 
pened along that way. 

In I'eter Acker's store the sul)ject of the balloon 
frame was discussed night after night and many a 
hot word was passed over the subject. Xo one dis- 
puted the undesirableness of such a structure — it 
was not that: they were all opposed to the bal- 
loon frame, and they couldn't agree as to how such 
a thing could be framed. Solomon S. (ransey 
said he believed they had been used some in other 
parts — "in mild climates where the wind blew easy" — 
but they had generally been set up where they were 
])r()teeted by forest trees. He thought he could 

[122] 



THE STORY OF A STREET 



frame one, and he bad a theory of construction which 
most of the others failed to favor and hence the heated 
argument over Held's ])alloon frame. 

But the building went up, and as the first building 
in town to be framed after the balloon method, it at- 
tracted wide l(K*al attention. For those days it was 
really fine. Inside, the 
marble top counters, 
against the wall, meat 
hooks of the latest device, 
the pictures of fat cattle 
and the polished horns 
that stood out from the 
wall, with streaming red 
and blue ribbons at their 
tips, made an impressive 
appearance. JNIr. Held 
was po])ular with all his 
customers. Xo more honest or conscientious man ever 
lived. He had many opportunities to invest in Wall 
Street and to buy Greenwich real estate, but he 
availed himself of Wall Street opportunities not at all 
and his local real estate holdings were never large. 

One morning Capt. Wm. L. Lyon, who then 
owned the Voorhis property, tried to sell him all the 
land south of the market, now No. 74 Greenwich Ave- 
nue to where the Greenwich drug store stands, for 
eleven hundred dollars "and trade it out in meat." 

It is not surprising that Mr. Held promptly de- 
clined to pay what was then a large price for land he 
did not require. 

[123] 




CAPT. W. L. lA'OX 

1808-1858 



OTHER DAVS I\ (iUKKXWICH 

Tlic old man was raitlil'iil lo his iiiai'kct pati'oiis 
t'oi" many years and at last one al'tcrnoon down at 
Indian Ilai'hoi'. liis life went out \\itli the ehhin^' tide 
tl'at (lowed undei- his window, a man honored and 
respeeted hy all nn ho knew him. 



[124.] 



CHAPTER XII 



WAR TIMES 



DURIXG the last days of President Buchanan's 
administration, and up to the time that Fort 
Sumter was fired on, poHtics in Greenwich were so 
warm that they sometimes became bitter. 

The South liad many sympathizers, called Cop- 
perheads, while those who favored the abolition of 
slavery, at whatever cost, were called Black Republi- 
cans. From this it must not be inferred that no mem- 
ber of the Democratic party favored the abolition of 
slavery, for there were many among them known as 
War Democrats, who agreed on that point with 
members of the other party, sometimes termed Radi- 
cals. The shooting of young Col. Ellsworth, the 
first blood shed in the ^^a.Y — it was really a murder — 
created great excitement, as it probably did all over 
the country. His photograph encircled with a broad 
band of black, w^as on sale at the local stores and 
many in the village displayed the picture on their 
front mantels. 

Long sj^ecial trains of cars often went through, 
the bands playing and the car platforms filled with 
soldiers. In some instances flags were displayed 

[125] 




ELNATHAX HUSTED 

Co. T 10th C. V. 

Died ill service, lS(i4 



OTIIKU DAYS IX CiUKEXW RH 

aloiio- tlu' sides of tlie cars and l)cn(.'ath tlie folds of 

the Ha,i>' a])|)t'arc(l tlic 
nanif and luunhei' of the 
reginu'iil and coinpanv. 

'Vhv hoys al)out th,c vil- 
hi<»e fonnd a _L>!'cat deal 
of interest in watching 
these trains and discuss- 
in l'" anioni)' themselves the 
places from whence the 
soldiers hailed, all of them 
coming from JNlaine and 
other eastern States. Be- 
ing too young to enlist, 

they declared that they regretted it and one or two 

made application for the ])osition of drummer hoy, 

but with what success I 

do not recall. 

A fine, tall iiag pole 

was erected at the foot of 

Lafayette Place through 

the efforts of William 

Scofield, and a few years 

ago, when the watering- 
trough was ])ut there, the 

decayed remains of the 

old pole were taken out 

of the ground. The pole 

remained there and was in use as late as 1872, wdien it 

had so far decayed tliat it was removed. 

[12<!] 




Ai.\()i;i) I'l.i K 

l-:ii. ISlil Co. 1 lotii C. v., Dis 
is;il 





ISAAC L. MEAD 
Serg. Co. I ITth Ct. V 
1S34-1913 



^ 


^^' 


<-' 


\;- 




k 



WILLIAM rCRUY 
En. Co. I 10th C. V. 186;?. 
close of war 



COUP. WILLIAM BIRD 

En. ISGl. Dis. IHli-l. Co. I 10th 

C. V. Br. 184-^ D. 1901 




Dis. 



SERG. CALEB M. HOLMES 
P>I1 in battle before Richmond 
Oct. 13, 1864, aged 2-2, while in 
command Co. I 10th C. V. 




JOHN BUSH MATTHEWS 

Co. I 10th C. V. Served 3 vrs. 



WAR TIINIES 

This pole, when it was first contemplated, was a 

subject of great delight _ 

and anticipation. For sev- 
eral months it lay along 
the side of Lafayette 
Place, while the car- 
penters and painters 
smoothed and polished its 
surface. Lying prostrate 
it looked very short and 
when it was finally raised 

and a topmast added, it 
exceeded the expectations 
of all. A magnificent flag, purchased by sub- 
scription, floated from the mast head e^ery day. 

Standing where Oscar 
Tuthill and his brother 
conduct the Round Hill 
Farms Dairy, was a small 
frame two-storv buildino-, 
which subsequently was 
used by the tow^n for 
public offices and in 
1874 was hired by Henry 
B. ^Marshall, who therein 
established the beginning 
of the 231'esent ^Marshall's 
Market. During the early 
davs of the war this building was used as an enlisting 

[129] 




JAMES GERALD 

Co. I 10th C. V. 

En. 1861. Died in service 



OTIIKU DAYS IX (iKKKXW K II 

station. Billv Acker with bis drum and William 
Johnson with iiis life were constantly at woi-k drum- 
min<>' enthusiasm into possible recruits. It \\ as an 
attractive fi'ont dooi' for Ihe hoys who hunL>- around 

while tlie recruiting 
officer measured the 
iipphcants and took 
their descriptions be- 
fore including- them 
in tlie list of raw re- 
cruits. 

Com])any I of the 
Tenth Conn. Volun- 
teers was the first to 
o-o to the seat of war 
and included some of 
the finest young men 
in town. Daniel JNIer- 
ritt Mead, after- 
wards Major, was 
the captain of this 
company and for 
some weeks before 
they left he was about the streets in his bright new 
uniform; on drill days with his sword at his side. 

We thought him a grand and im]]osing figure, as 
indeed he was, and he received the admiration- of all 
the boys, without, probably, realizing it. 

My brotlier, L. P. Hubbard. Jr.. had enlisted for 
three years in a Manchester, New Hampshire, Regi- 

[130] 




MA.IOP. D. -M. MHAD 

Who wi-iit out as C"ai)tain 




I.T. THOMAS R. MEAD 

En. 1861. Died in service Caj)t. 

of Co. G 10th C. V. 




LT. DAVID W. MEAD 
En. Co. I 10th C. V. 18();?. Re- 
signed lS(j.'3 






WIIJ.TAM 
MORRISON' 

En. 18()3 




Co. I 10th C. V. 

Discharged c"h)se 

of war 





HKM<^- H. MEAD 

Co. I ]()th C. \'. Died in service 

Apr. ;JOth, lS(i;J, at age of -21 



SILAS E. MEAD 

Born 1844.. En. 1861 Co. I 10th 

C. ^'. Discharged close of war 



WAR TIMES 

ment and this gave me a good standing with the other 
boys of my own age, whose elder brothers and fa- 
thers had enhsted. Subsequently when my brother 
made us a visit on furlough I w'as very proud to 
walk l)y his side as he went about tlie village in his 
uniform. 

Finally on a beautiful 
Autumn day in 1861 — 
September 25 — came the 
departure of Company I. 
The soldier boys, for they 
were generally about 
t^^'enty-one years of age, 
gathered in the old Town 
Hall which stood where 
the Soldiers' monument 
so appropriately stands. 

I (juote from the diary 
of Capt. Daniel oNIerritt 
Mead : 

"On the morning of the 
"25th of September we 
"found ourselves ready to leave, with about fifty-five 
"men for rendezvous. 

"Our friends, at home, by thousands escorted us to 
"the depot, having procured a brass band from New 
"Rochelle. We marched to Putnam Hill to meet an 
"expected escort from JNIianus which failed to come. 
"Then we returned to the Congregational Church 
"where prayer was offered by Rev. Dr. Linsley and 

[133] 




L. P. HUBBARD, .hi. 

Served S Years, Wdunded Battle of 

Bull Hull 



orilKK I)A^S IN (iUKKXWlCIT 



''a sword j)resci'tc(l to the C'a|)lain. 'I'lif |)i'tsc'iita- 
'"tion spc'fC'li was iiiadf l)y .Iiilitis H. C'lii'tis in lu'liall' 
"of tile donors, who were Slcplicii (i. W'liitr. \\ il- 
"liam Smith. Lyman Mead, and C'hai'lcs H. Seaman. 
■'An affectionate lea\ e-takini*' Irom I'l'iends was 
■'then had, wlieii we took up onr line of March to the 
"(lejjot. On our way cheers and tears wei"e alternat- 
''ini^-. At th.e depot a s})eech was made l)y Dr. 





WILLIAM SMITH 

1798-1 ST ;2 



LVMAN ML AD 

is.n-isi):) 



"James II. Iloyt and rej)ned to l)y tlie Captain, 
when leave-takin_<>' was renewed and continued until 
"tlie arrival of the train, when we left in the last car 
"for Hartford." 

JNIanv of the soldiers were memhers of Dr. Lins- 
ley's church and wliile I was too youni'' to aj)pi-eciate 
his ])rayer, it was said to have been, very fervent. I 
recall ho^^ liis hands ti-eml)le(l as he extended them 
in his final benediction. 

All the villaL>e boys followed the soldiers and min- 

[i:u] 





CAPT. SELLECK L. WHITE 

Co. I 10th C. V. 

Died in service Aii"-. ISfil 



SERG. 

NORYEL GREEX 

En. 1861 



LT. W. 1.. SAVAGE 

Co. ! lOtli C. ^'. 

En. ISfil. Dis. 18()4 





C'). I 10th C. V 

Re-en listed 

1864 






A 



CURT. Al.l.XAXDER FERRIS 

Color bearer Co. I 10th C. V. 

Killed at Drurv's Bluff, 186-1. 



1 Jk 

CORP. Wli.i.l^ H. WILCOX 

En. 1861. Served 3 yrs. Co. I 10th 

C. V." 



WAR TI31ES 




.lAMES H. HOYT. .M.D. 

18:29-1875 

Surgeon General State of 

Connecticut 



gled ill the crowd tliat filled the walk on either side 
of the dusty road. 

Until five years ago a 
black miilherry tree grew 
on the east side of Green- 
wich Avenue just below 
the row of new brick 
stores. As I reached the 
mulberry tree there was 
a slight pause in the 
ranks. Lieutenant Ben- 
jamin Wrigh.t and Ser- 
geant William Long, 
marching side by side, 
dre^^' near. 1 noticed the dust across the shoulders 
of their new uniforms, and then came to me the 

impression that one of 

them would never come 

'**^'^^^ ])ack. And so it was — • 

',/ I^ong was one of tlie first 

to lay down his life. 

Company I w^as re- 
markable in the fact that 
its ranks included no less 
than twelve pair of broth- 
ers. They were Erastus 
and James Burns, David 
and Jared Finch; John 
and Holly Hubbard; Wil- 
liam and Drake ^larshall ; Charles and John 31cCann ; 

[137] 




CHARLES H. SEAMAN 

1819-1899 



OTHKU DAYS JX (iKKKXW R II 

AN'illiaiii and (ieorn'e Jcrinaii: StcplR-n and Ilcni-y 
Brady: (icoi-of and William R()l)l)in.s; Louis and 
Jolin Sella irc'i-i Hfin-y and Wai'i-cn Scott; ^Varon 

and John SlR-rwood. 
and John and Thomas 
W^ilson. 

In addition to this 
tliei'e were tliree in- 
stances wliere father 
and son stood side by 
side, and in the ranks 
of the Com})any were 
three brotliers-in-law. 
After the soldiers 
had departed they 
were constantly in 
mind and after every 
engagement the pa- 
pers were carefully 
scanned for news of 
boys at the front. 
T^etters came often. 




LIEUT. BKX.IAMIX W 



Kill r 



the envelopes covered with spirited pictures of war 
scenes. Indeed, plain white envelopes were seldom 
seen in those days, a Hag in colors usually occupying 
the left liand corner. 

The Sanitary Commission had a branch here, made 
up of ladies who sewed for the well soldiers and put 
up bandages and lint for the sick and wounded. 

[138] 



WAR Ti:^IES 



Boxes were sent out by the families of soldiers filled 
with such simple things as corn meal, onions, salt and 
pepper ; essential, but often difficult to get at the front. 
Quite frequently the 
great flag hung at 
half mast and then 
the boys would won- 
der who had gone 
and whether by shot, 
shell or disease. 

There were mil- 
itary funerals of 
which I recall that 
of AVilliam Donohue 
and later the more 
imposing funerals of 
Sergeant "William 
Long, Thomas R. 
INIead, Henrj^ JNIead. 
and Caleb M. 
Holmes, all of Com- 
pany I, also that of 
Oliver D. Benson of 
another regiment. 

When jNlajor Daniel Merritt Mead was brought 
home in a dying condition the sympathy of all was 
aroused, and as he lay sick for two weeks in the old 
homestead on the Post Road many a prayer was of- 
fered for his recovery. But he passed away on the 

[139] 




COL. OTIS 
Of the 10th Reg. Conn. Volunteers. Not 
a Greenwich man but lieloved by every 
member of Co. I 



OTHER DAYS IX (;KEEXWICH 




IDth (lay of Sc'ptciiil)C'r. 18(>"2. at the early a<^-e of 

tweiity-eiglit. 

His funeral was held in 
the Second Congrega- 
tional Church and I recall 
that his military hat and 
sword rested njjon the 
coffin. Tile church was 
crowded to such an extent 
that the support under 
the west gallery snapped 
SEHG. WILLIAM Loxc like the report of a pistol 

En. 1801 Co. I 10th C. V. Died ^^.j^j^ ^j^^ ^^-^^^ ^^. ^j^^ 
Morris Island. 186;} ^ 

people. Few realized the 
cause of the peculiar 
noise. 

It was a sad morning in 
April, 18(>.5. when the 
news of the assassination 
of President Lincoln 
reached Greenwich. ]Mem- 
bers of both political par- 
ties bo^ved their heads in 
sorrow and the emblems 
of mourning were univer- 
sal. 

The following chapter 
contains an account of ,,w.o ^,.. m^ tx/^x- 

A-MUh AIJjAU LiU.N 

the sermon preached by .Master's Mate r. s. x., isgi-isgj. 

R-rTT-'ii- -pj- TT Last year on staff of Adnir. 

eV. VV llliam ±1. ±1. Porter. In several important 

enfragements including Fort 
Fisher 




Murray on this occasion. 



[140] 



CHAPTER XIII 

KEY. WILLIAM H. H. MURRAY 

REV. WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON 
.MURRAY was born in Guilford, Conn., 
April 26, IS^O. He was graduated from Yale and 
from a school of Theology, becoming acting pastor 
of the Second Congregational Church at the age of 
twenty-four. He remained as long as the church 
could keep him, but in 1866 the First Congregational 
Church of ^Nleriden offered him a liberal salar}' and 
he left. 

When he came to Greenwich he was, in years, 
scarcely more than a boy, yet he had the poise and 
dignity of a mature man. He stood over six feet 
in height, was straight as an arrow, and of massiYC 
physique. His large, well-shaped liead was covered 
with abundant black hair. His eyes fairly glittered 
with life and animation. 

He had an unbroken colt that he kept at Col. 
Thomas A. JNIead's, also a row boat on the Sound. 
In almost every Congregational home were dis- 
played, in conspicuous places, the photographs of 
Mr. and Mrs. ]Miu-ray. All of the old generation 
remember him distinctly. The younger generation 
has little knowledge of him, because he disappeared 

[141] 



OTIIKK DAYS IX (;HEKX\VICH 

from jnihlic life many yeai-.s ago and the old ])lioto- 
<>Ta])]is liave been liidden away or desti'oyed. He 
was clever, handsome and ma<>iietie and fearless in 






W. H. 11. .MLHHAY 

At tlu- age of 2i 

his preaehino-. His orii>inality was unique, nsually 
pleasing and often startling. 

In speaking of himself in the latter years of his 
life he once said: ''I was horn of pooi- parents, as 
the majoi'ity of X^ew Kngland boys were in my day- 
There had never been a rich raseal in our familv. nor 

[142] 



REV. WILLIAM H. H. MURRAY 

did I come of literary stock. Xo college-bred dunce 
had ever handicapped us with his incapable respect- 
ability. I had, therefore, a fair start. The Con- 
necticut ^lurrays were not afraid to tell the truth to 
any man and could swear heartily at hypocritical 
meanness — at least my father could. At the age of 
seven I began to earn my own living, as every boy 
should. At fourteen I read all the ])ooks I could lay 
my hands on. At sixteen I began to prepare for 
college. I had no help, no encouragement. My 
father opposed me in my efforts and my mother said 
nothing. ]My old neighbors in their ignorance said: 
'I wonder wliat Bill ^lurray thinks he can make of 
himself?' But I persevered. I was sensitive to 
ridicule. I had an impediment in my speech, but I 
had taken hold of the rope of knowledge with a good 
grip and I held on. 

"I started for Yale with four dollars and sixty- 
eight cents in my i30cket and two small carpet bags 
in my hands — one for my few books, the other for 
my few clothes. While at the university I was urged 
by family and friends, more than once, to give it up. 
One winter I lived for four weeks on a diet that cost 
fifty-six cents a week: Indian meal and water — not 
over much meal and a good deal too much water. 
I went through the entii"e course — I don't remember 
that I lost a week. I was graduated crammed full 
of the knowledge of books from enormous reading, 
seasoned with a fair proficiency in the studies of the 
curriculum, but not over seasoned. Then without 

[143] 



OTIIKU DAYS I\ (;KKKX\V1CH 

pause 1 went to Kast ^^'in(l.s()I•. where they take 
yoiin*^" men as Christians and make them over into 
Calvinists, and studied old world theology." 

While at (rreenwieh Mr. Murray made his first ex- 
cursion into the Adirondack wilderness. It was then 
almost an unknown territory. AVhile at ^leriden he 
passed his summer vacations in the Adirondacks and 
wrote to the Meriden Becorder a series of letters that 
were afterwards incorporated into a hook entitled 
"Adventures in the Wilderness," wliich made him a 
literary celebrity and gave him a name that always 
stuck — "Adirondack ^Inrray." 

About the same time appeared in the Atlantic 
jMonthhi a story entitled "A Ride with a ^Nlad Horse 
in a Freight Car," which was said to contain the best 
description of a horse in action that was ever written. 

Before coming to Greenwich, ]Mr. jNIurray had 
married the daughter of Sheldon Hull, a pros])erous 
farmer of Essex, Conn. Her sister, Ida Hull, lived 
with them while in Greenwich and attended the 
Academy. 

The news of the assassination of President IJn- 
coln reached Greenwich on Saturday morning at 
eight o'clock. Before noon a meeting of the pastor 
and deacons of the Second Congregational Church 
was held and it was voted to drape the interior of the 
church in black. Mr. Murray agreed to ])reach an 
appropi'iate sei'inon the following morning. 

A number of the active young men and women, as- 
sisted by Mr. Alui-ray. had eom])leted the decorations 

[144] 



REV. WILLIAM H. H. :MURRAY 

by sunset. They covered the front of the galleries, 
twisted the black muslin about the posts, looped it 
around the pulpit and strung it above the organ, till 
the great edifice looked heavy with the folds of black, 
from which were visible, here and there, the bright 
colors of the stars and stripes. 

After it was all finished, JNIurray said: "I'll take 
a little outdoor exercise after supper and when I re- 
turn I'll prepare the special sermon for to-morrow." 

Late that night there was a light in his study in the 
church. He had a window open and he could hear 
the voices of the peepers in the distance. His heavy 
black hair hung like a great shock over his brow. 
His thoughts, at times, came too fast for his fingers; 
but at the weird hour when the night begins to change 
to another day, he laid down his pen, put out the 
light, and witli body erect as in the morning, he 
strode across the yard to the parsonage door. 

The next morning as he arose to deliver his sermon 
to an immense audience, his face for a moment 
clouded with sorrow. His voice, always heavy, res- 
onant and musical, was at first husky, but as he 
caught the sympathy of his hearers, his voice cleared 
and, without a note, he delivered one of the most elo- 
quent discourses ever heard in that church. 

He began: "To-day the wicked triumph and the 
"good are brought low. Two days ago the Republic 
"stood erect, strong and valiant; her foot advanced 
"and countenance radiant with hope. To-day she 
"lies prostrate upon the ground, her features stained 

[U5] 



OTHER DAYS IX GREENWICH 

"with tile traces of recent i)Tief. and lier voice lifted 
"in lamentation." 

The sermon of this hoy of twenty-fonr was tilled 
with the wisdom of a sn^e. As he drew toward the 
close he said: "Xor is he wholly o()ne! He lives; 
"not in hodily presence, hut yet he lives, in the his- 
"tory of his times, in the memory of his age — in the 
"affections of us all. His name will not he forgot- 
"ten. The living of to-day will tell it to the unhorn 
"and they, in turn, will repeat it to the remotest age. 
"Amid the doings of the great of every clime will his 
"deeds he recorded. Among the teachings of the 
"wise will his sayings be written. In galleries where 
"wealth gathers the faces of the loved and the re- 
"nowned will his portrait be suspended, and in hum- 
"bler homes and in lowlier hearts will his face and 
"his memory be retained, until the present has be- 
"come the past, and the children cease to be moved 
"by the traditions of the fathers. 

"We cannot measure him to-day. Years must 
"23ass before his influence on his age can be estimated. 
"It needs the contrast of history to reveal his great- 
"ness. In the native vigor of his intellect, in the sin- 
"cerity of his pvu'pose, in the originality of his views, 
"in the sim2)licity of his faith, and in his sympathy 
"for the o])pressed, what potentate of his time will 
"bear a comparison with this backwoodsman of 
"America:' I'^ntaught in the formalities of courts, 
"he a])ed not their customs. Unostentatious, he as- 
"pired to nothing beyond his reach and seemed to 

[146] 



REV. WILLIAM H. H. :MURRAY 

"reach more than he aspired after. He was mcapa- 
"ble of bitterness, and in this doth his greatness most 
"appear, that having defamers, he heeded them not. 
"persecuted by enemies he hated them not, reviled by 
"inferiors, he retorted not." 

It is sad to think that a man as capable as :Murray 
should have gone to pieces, like a ship on a ledge. 
Leaving ]Meriden. he was the settled pastor of Park 
Street Church, Boston, at the age of twenty-eight. 
But in Boston his career seemed a striking case of a 
square peg trying to tit into a round hole. Sport of 
all kinds fascinated the man, and the conventionali- 
ties that hedge about the ministerial cloth became ex- 
ceedingly distasteful to him. 

To the Park Street Church deacons it was equally 
distasteful to have the name of their pastor connected 
constantly with horse racing. Whether :Mr. ^Murray 
ever risked money on the races, was never established, 
but that he organized the Boston Buckboard Co. to 
introduce a trotting sulky, deemed by him of superior 
quality and put a good deal of time into the business 
of breeding ]M organ horses at his Guilford farm, 
there is no question. At one time the Guilford es- 
tate, which included the old homestead, which he had 
purchased after it went out of the family, was worth 
seventy-two thousand dollars, a fact quite sufficient 
to reassure those whom Mr. :Murray had persuaded 
to invest heavily in the Buckboard Co. 

Racing and religion soon began to be blended by 
]Mr. :Murray in a manner most severely criticized. 

[147] 




OTIIEH DAYS IX (;KKKXWTCH 

He owned and edited a weekly ])a])er ealled The 
(roldi'ii Rule, wln'eli had a larye mini})er of suhserib- 
ers in (rreeiiwicli. In this ])a|)er matters pertain- 
ing' to the tnrf and tlie ehni'eh were treated with so 
loose an attempt at impartiality that there seemed at 
times to he a leaning towards favoring the turf the 

more. As a natui'al eon- 
sequence, in 18TJ*, he was 
forced to resign from 
. «» *• Park Street Church. Hut 

for the following three 
years he drew great audi- 
ences to ^lusic Hall 
where he preached lib- 
erty, free speech and inde- 
pendent action. 
THOMAS RiTCH ^^ ^ pulpit orator he 

I'l i!^!^" was incomparable. There 

was a peculiar charm in his delivery, a magnetism in 
his presence and a profound logic in his reasoning, 
which rendered his talks positive rhetorical studies. 
His religion, at this time, was the doctrine of common 
sense. 

There was no egotism in his manner, no narrowness 
in his ideas. To hear him was to realize his powers 
of mind. To meet him was to com])rehend his graces 
of manner, aiid to know him was to appreciate his 
goodness of heart. 

However he certainly had no business ability. 
The Golden Rule failed and to the buckboard enter- 

[148] 



REV. WILLIAM H. H. MURRAY 

prise there came a financial crisis. One morning the 
pastor, author, editor and manufacturer was missing. 
From Texas he sent a letter to the Boston newspapers 
declarino- tliat husiness liad called liim to tliat distant 




MRS. W. H. H. MURRAY 

In lS(il. 

State. He in.sisted tliat he had always intended to 
retire from puhlic life when he was forty and that it 
was in fulfillment of this determination tliat he left 
Boston a few weeks hefore his fortieth birthday. 

In the fall of 1881 jNIin-ray conceived a project of 
shipping Texas wood to Chicago and other northern 

[149] 



OTHER DAYS IX GREENWICH 

iiiaiuifac'turiii<4' centers, but as the selieiiie necessitated 
tlie transportation of material wliicli could be secured 
better and clieapei" nearer home, its chance of success 
was sli<>ht. Yet ^Murray so believed in it that he built 
a mil] on the Guadalupe, about forty miles from San 
Antonio, and went there to conduct it. He also in- 
duced })cople to invest in this singular enterprise. 
At tliis time he became, himself, a teamster. He 
dressed in brown overalls, cowhide boots and a blue 
and white checked shirt. Then as he left New 
Englantl — with many debts behind him ; so jNIr. ]Mur- 
ray left Texas. 

In the winter of 1883, the late Thomas Ritch told 
me that he found him running a restain-ant called 
the "Snow Shoe" in JNIontreal where INIurray himself, 
in cap and apron, had cooked and served for him a 
plate of buckwlieat cakes. Here he met so many of 
his old parishioners that the restaurant actually served 
as an entering wedge for the man's retiu'n to the 
world again. 

The winter of 1884 he was back again on the Bos- 
ton lecture platform. That same winter, or the next, 
he lectured in Ray's Hall in Greenwich. A few of 
liis old friends w^ere present, but nearly every one had 
forgotten the eloquent preacher of twenty years be- 
fore. And yet, after all his vicissitudes, his charm of 
old had not departed. That night he read from his 
own works "How John Norton, the trapper, kept his 
Christmas," a vivid and ex(iuisitely pathetic descrip- 
tion of a lonely mountaineer's perilous tramp to in- 

[1.50] 



REV. WILLIAM H. H. MURRAY 

sure a happy Christmas to another. As the story 
was read, with the same deep resonant voice of old, 
those who heard it could not but do homage to the 
liumanity and genius of its writer. 

Before I close this painful chapter I must recur to 
JNIrs. jNIurray or the story will be incomplete. She 
was a remarkable woman, possessed of unusual in- 
tellectual power. The year that her husband left 
her she entered the Xew York Medical School for a 
term. Then she went to Europe and for three years 
studied in Vienna ^Medical College and finally was 
graduated in surgery as well as medicine, with high 
honors. She was the first American woman to re- 
ceive, in Europe, a diploma entitling her to practice 
as a surgeon. Returning to her native land she 
opened an office in New Haven. 

The same year that his wife divorced him ]Mr. 
JNIurray married Miss Frances ^I. Rivers of INIont- 
real, a Catholic. With her and their four daughters 
he long lived happily in retirement at the old home- 
stead in Guilford and there he died in 1906 in the 
same room in which he was born. His body was laid 
at rest under an old apple tree near the house. 

The following lines were written by JNIr. ISIurray 
in 1867 as a prelude to a sermon on Faithfulness: 

The play is done — the curtain drops 

Slow falling to the prompter's bell; 

A moment yet the actor stops. 

And looks around to say farewell, 

It is an irksome word and task. 

And when he's laughed and said his sav, 

[151] 



OTHER DAYS IX GREENWICH 

He shows, as lie reuiovrs the mask, 

A face lliat"s anything but gay. 

So each shall mourn, in life's advance, 

Dear hopes, dear friends, untimely killed — 

Shall grieve for many a forfeit chance, 

And longing passion unfulfilled. 

Amen ! Whatever fate be sent, 

Pray God the heart may kindly glow, 

Although the head with cares be bent. 

And whitened with the winter's snow. 



[152] 



CHAPTER XIV 

ALONG PUTNA:M AVENUE 

AT the opening of the nineteenth century there 
were hut three prominent trees on the main 
country road from Putnam Hill to Toll Gate Hill. 
The hushandman's ax kept the hedge rows trimmed 
and ornamental trees were rarely set out, as they 
shaded the growing crops. 

The three trees that held their branches high in the 
air were plainly visible from vessels cruising in the 
Sound. They were button-ball trees; one stood in 
fron.t of the old Hobby tavern on what is now the 
J. H. Fennessy property on East Putnam Avenue; 
another spread its immense limbs over Hearfields, the 
home of Richard INIead, later of Col. Thomas A. 
Mead; and the other, until 1911, stood in front of 
the Peter Acker homestead on Putnam Avenue. 
This latter tree was the smallest of the trio, but had 
been sturdy and vigorous at the opening of the Revo- 
lutionary War. 

The Hobby tavern stood almost exactly on the 
ground occupied by JNIr. Fennessy's beautiful house 
of antique style. Capt. John Hobby had been active 
in the eighteenth century, but on the 13th of ^lay, 
1802. when probably an old man, he sold all his Horse 

[153] 



OTHER DAYS IX GREENWICH 

Xcck real estate to Ilaiuiali Courtney. This con- 
sisted of twenty-two acres, near the fleeting Plouse, 
on hotli sides of the Post Road. He })ounded the 
soutlierly tract on the east hy land of Jared ^lead 
and on tlie soutli bv huid of the Rev. Dr. Isaac I^ewis. 




( i^r'' 



■\i> 't."- '* ^- '.-iv 








iM:sii)i:.\n-: oi- isiiali-: x. lewis 

Erecti'd 1807. Subsequently tlie home of Henry M. lieiu'diet and 
Dr. William Guy Peek 

Subsequent deeds bound it on the west by land of Dr. 
Lewis, and it a])parently extended east to what is now 
the Frederick Mead place, west to the present line 
of ^Mason Street and south to land now owned by the 
Greenwich Hospital. The tract on the north side 
of the road included property now known as the Elms 
and a considerable tract west of it. But the land 
still further west, belongino- to Di". Carl E, ]Martin 

[15-t] 



ALONG PUTXAM AVENUE 

and Walter M. Anderson and Ada ^I. Cook, be- 
longed to Thomas Hobby, probably a brother of the 
Captain. 

It is clear that Captain Hobby lived on the south 
side of the road and probably on the commanding 
eminence where Henry ]M. Benedict lived so many 
years, and afterward owned and occupied by Pro- 
fessor Wm. Guy Peck of West Point and Columbia 
College. That the house had long ])een an inn, and 
that it was of ample dimensions, shaded by the great 
])utton-ball tree, there is no doubt. But the shrewd 
Captain Hobby in his deed to ^Nliss Coiu'tney, a Xew 
York lady of wealth and social ])osition, makes no 
allusion to a tavern, inn, or pul)lic house, but de- 
scribed the buildings as a "mansion house and barn." 

Miss Courtney paid $2,84-3.7.5 for the h.andsomest 
piece of property in the village of Horse Xeck. At 
that time, however, it could hardly be termed a vil- 
lage. There were but few houses, well scattered and 
whatever commercial interests Greenwich liad were 
centered at Mian.us, where the Town Clerk's office 
was located. 

From the hilltop purchased by ^liss Courtney was 
an unobstructed view in all directions. It was said 
that travelers by stage coach along tlie Post Road 
anticipated with pleasure that part of the trij) from 
Putnam Hill to Toll Cxate Hill wliere the view of 
the Sound was unln-oken and unobstructed the entire 
distance. 

]My father made the stage coach trip from Xew 

[155] 



OTHER DAYS IX GREENWICH 

^'()^k to Roston in 18.*3.'3. and st()j)j)t'(l at what was 
then the jNIansion House, sinee ealled the Lenox 
House, kept hy Augustus Lyon. He (my father) 
often referred to the faet that tlie two front rooms 
of the present Lenox House, are identieal witli the 
two front rooms of that aneient liostelry — tlie ]Man- 
sion House. 

Hannali Courtney owned tlie Hobby property hut 

five years. It is easy to 
imagine that slie did not 
find it uninteresting, but 
that it was remote from 
New York, and that the 
means of transportation 
i)y slooj) or stage coach 
were not agreeable. At 
all events on November 
1 1. 1807, for the consider- 
ation of $500, she sold it 
to Reale N. Lewis. It is not likely that ^liss Court- 
ney suffered sucli a loss, or that JNIr. Lewis made such 
a good })argain as to actually get the pro])erty for 
$.500. which was doubtless a nominal consideration. 
They were cousins. 

Reale N. Lewis was also from New York City, and 
was a son of the Rev. Dr. Isaac Lewis. He was an 
able lawyer of large wealth. As soon as he actiuired 
the land, he removed the Hobby tavern and built 
what was then coi^sidered a grand mansion. It was 
not deep but it was wide, built like three cubes, a 

[1.50] 




i)i;. \\ M. c, ri:( K 

|SJ{)-IS!tJ 



ALOXG PUTXAIM AVENUE 

large one in the center, and one at each end for wings. 
He died possessed of the pro|>erty in the spring of 
1817, leaving a widow, Elizabeth Lewis, bnt no lineal 
heirs. His death occurred seven years before that of 
his distinguished father. 

On May 11, 1829, the brothers and sisters of Beale 
N. Lewis conveyed the same twenty-two acres to 
Peter Tillott, James Tillott and Susan Seymour. 
They were probably speculators as they subsequently 
owned other land in town, and did considerable con- 
veyancing. But the venture does not a])pear to have 
been profitable as they held the land till April 4, 1833, 
when they sold it at cost to Alvan Mead. 

In 1833 Cornelia J. Graham and JNIary E. Graham, 
sisters, were conducting a school on the north side of 
the Post Road where they owned considerable real 
estate. The Alvan ^lead purchase was bounded on 
the east by their property. The school was carried 
on in the house now know^n as the Elms. Tlie Til- 
lotts and Miss Seymour must have been exceedingly 
tired of carrying tlie property as they accepted the 
entire purchase price in a note secured by mortgage. 

Alvan INIead held it four years when, on February 
6, 1837, he sold it to Obadiah Peck at a profit of 
$3,500. 

Mr. Peck was one of our earliest real estate specu- 
lators. At that time two acres was considered a 
small plot. Mr. Peck was also a house builder. His 
aim was to improve the land with buildings and sell 
at a profit. He occupied the Beale X. Lewis home- 

[1-57] 



OTIIKR DAYS IX (;UEKN\VICII 

stead wliosL' south windows and l)i'oad \trati(la coiu- 
niaiided a splendid view of Lond Island Sound and 
tile inter\ e?u'nn' eountry. Here Heiu'v M. Henediet 
subsequently resided foi- neaidy twenty yeai's. This 
same house was torn down by L. V. Ilarkness after 
he purcliased it from the A\"illiam (t. Peck estate, 
June 1.5. 1801. 

]5ut to 1-eturn to Obadiah Peck. In 18.)4 he built 
tlie home so loni>' occupied by the late L. P. Hubbard 
and now owned by Dr. Kdward (). Parker. Then 
he built the Banks homestead recently moved by ^Irs. 
Xathaniel AVitherell to make room for the new Young 
]Men's Cliristian Association building'. This last 
venture of ]Mr. Peck's was disastrous and he made a 
bad financial failure. 

Before closing this chapter and leaving the neigh- 
borhood I have been describing, 1 must allude to the 
homestead of Jared ^lead. which stood where now 
stands the Frederick ]\Iead homestead. 

Jared Mead was the father of Alvan ]Mead and 
here Alvan was born in ITDo. The house was an 
old-fashioned sweep-back, covered with sliingles to 
the sills, which were close to the ground. In the 
center of the house was a great stone chimney which 
aiforded an open fire place in each room of its two 
stories. Down the hill a short distance were the 
somber farm barns. ^Ir. Mead was a sprightly little 
man with a numerous family. He was prominent 
and active in the aff'airs of the fleeting House, hard 
by on the hill. Perhaps it should be called the Sec- 

[158] 



ALONG PUTNAM AVENUE 

ond Congregational Church but he always called it 
"The jNIeeting House." 

The house was double, the hall in the center ex- 
tending from the front door to the great chimney, 
where winding stairs with white painted banisters 
and a cherry rail led to the second story. On one 
side of this hall was the living room and the other the 
"best room," in later years called the "parlor." Both 
these rooms had grand old fire places with crane 
and pot hooks, blackened by the smoke and flame. 
The hearth was an enormous slab of blue stone, 
cracked across from the heat of the great logs, seven 
feet long, that blazed merrily all the winter day and 
smouldered under a bed of ashes all night. 

It was Mr. ]\Iead's duty as an active member of the 
church to supply the Sabbath attendants with ma- 
terial for their foot stoves. On Saturday an unusual 
supply of fire w^ood was stacked against the chimney 
jambs and by ten o'clock, Sunday, a large quantity 
of live coals was lieaped in the spacious chimney place. 
As the old bell in the INIeeting House was calling the 
parishioners to worship, they would repair to INIr. 
JNIead's and fill their foot stoves with live coals. 

It was, however, a rule of the family that no com- 
munication whatever should be had with those who 
called and no member of the family should go into 
the "best room," lest it be said that they were enter- 
taining visitors on the Sabbath day. Those who 
came understood and approved of the rule. They 
opened the door unbidden and filling their stoves with 

[159] 



OTHER DAYS IX GREENWICH 

coals went out witli (\\uv\ dignity. Tliere was no 
levity: no eoinnu)n-i)laee remarks, only the most for- 
mal salutations were made. If anytliino- was said, 
it refen-ed to the discourse which they expected to 
liear. oi" at noon, when the stoves were re]:)lenishe(l. 
concerning- the sermon which they had heai'd. The 
afternoon was a repetition of the morning and the 
winter twihglit was scarcely an hour away when the 
church was closed. 



[IGO] 



CHAPTER XV 

THE DAYS OF BOSS TWEED 

AT the present time there are many people resid- 
ino' in Greenwich who have never heard of Boss 
Tweed. Since his day the new generation has been 
taught history but local characters like Tweed have 
usually been ignored. During the past five years I 
have made a test and have been surprised how the 
once notorious politician has been forgotten. For 
that reason this chapter will be devoted to the man, 
without an}^ allusion to his residence in Greenwich. 

I attended Tweed's trial during the fall of 1873 
and also did some clerical work for the Committee 
of Seventy, ])eing then a law student in New York 
City. But much that follows in this chapter has been 
culled from R. R. Wilson, who wrote a pamphlet on 
the subject which is said to have been suppressed. 

Until the year 1834 the Mayor of the City of New 
York was chosen either by the State Council of Ap- 
pointments or by the Common Council of the city. 
After 1834, however, that official was elected by the 
citizens. In 1846 the judiciary was made elective 
and thereafter most local offices were chosen by popu- 
lar vote. Diu'ing the first seventy years of New 
York's history as a free city the Democratic party 

[161] 



OTHER DAYS IX GREENWICH 

was the one usually in power. The Federalists and 
after them tlie AVhigs oecasionally secured control of 
aiFairs, hut the Democrats always recovered their 
hold on the reins. 

And without exception all the Democratic ^Mayors 
of that ])eriod owxd their election to Tammany Hall, 
a secret association whose social and henevolent aims 
had heen early put aside for political ones. 

Business men, then as now, shrank from political 
activity, while the men who directed Tammany Hall 
knew how to drill and control the mass of poor and 
ignorant voters, mainlv of foreimi hirth, who after 
18-tO constituted a majority of the voters. Still the 
majority which assured the continuance in or return 
to power of Tammany Hall and its allies was often 
a narrow one and victories were gained by fraud, 
intimidation and violence at the polls. 

The master spirit of the organization in the early 
'50's was Fernando Wood, an able and resolute man, 
who held to the belief that success was the criterion 
in politics, and that almost anything w^as justifiable 
to win it. 

In 18.54 Wood became ^layor, and was reelected 
at the end of two years. Then he quarreled with his 
associates in Tammany Hall and failed of a reelec- 
tion in 1858. Following this he formed Mozart Hall 
as a rival organization, and with its help and that of 
the mob in the lower wards succeeded in 1860 in de- 
feating Tammany Hall and putting himself at the 
head of the City Government. 

[162] 




WILLIAM M. TWEED 
Photo by Brady in 1871 
18;23-187"8 



THE DAYS OF BOSS TWEED 

In 1862 Tammany again secured control, and for 
several years political corruption was rife in the City 
of New York. 

This era of corruption was made easy hy radical 
changes in methods of municipal administration ef- 
fected in 1857. In that year a new charter was 
passed for the city, which, hesides dividing the re- 
sponsibility among the local officers, created a number 
of Boards and Commissions, the heads of which were 
not appointed by tlie Mayor, but elected by the voters 
of the city, as were also the Comptroller and Corpora- 
tion Counsel. 

^Nlore important still, coincident with the enact- 
ment of the new charter, a law was passed establishing 
for the County of New York a Board of Supervisors, 
chosen by popular vote, wliich was made inde- 
pendent of the city authorities, and vested with 
power to levy tb,e local taxes and to direct those 
branches of administration which in the State at large 
were relegated to the county authorities. 

One of tlie first to discover the chance for private 
gain at public expense made possible by the legisla- 
tive changes of 1857 was William ^I. Tweed, a native 
of the city. He was a man of Scotch parentage, who 
after failing in business as a chairmaker had in the 
late '40's turned to politics as a means of livelihood. 

He became first a member and then foreman of 
one of the volunteer fire companies of the period, 
known as the Big Six, thereby achieving popularity, 
which brought liim to the attention of Tammany 

[165] 



OTHER DAYS IX GREENWICH 

leaders. He was elected an Alderman of the city 
in 18.50 and in 18.58 was chosen a member of Conoress. 
Hut he never eared for Washington and in 18.57 he 
was elected Public School Commissioner and subse- 
quently State Senator. 

^Meanwhile Tweed had himself elected to the newly 
created Board of Supervisors, of which he was four 
times chosen president and of which he remained the 
directing spirit until 1870 when it passed out of ex- 
istence. 

Leadership of this board, which had the power of 
auditing accounts, gave him an opportunity to se- 
cure various privileges which were frauds u])on the 
city, and lie made the most of it. Thus obtaining 
control of an obscure newspaper, he secured the ])as- 
sage of a l)ill by the legislature making it the official 
organ of the City Government and it was paid over a 
million dollars for jn'inting the proceedings of the 
Common Council, which no one read. 

He also established a company for the printing of 
blank forms and vouchers for which in one year 
$2,800,000 was charged. A stationers company con- 
trolled by Tweed which furnished all the stationery 
used in the ])ublic institutions and departments re- 
ceived some three million dollars a year. Tweed em- 
})loyed certain persons as executive heads of these 
companies who were also upon the city pay rolls, some 
receiving money for work never done. While serv- 
ing as State Senator and president of the Board of 
Supervisors, Tweed also held the office of Deputy 

[166] 



THE DAYS OF BOSS TWEED 

Street Commissioner with "authority to appoint as 
many as a thousand office holders, many of whom 
did no work except to serve him, yet were paid out of 
the city treasury." 

By sucli methods as these Tweed advanced in a 
few years from poverty to great wealth, and at the 
same time, made himself undisputed master of Tam- 
many Hall. 

In 1863 lie was cliosen chairman of the General 
Committee of the organization and Grand Sachem 
of the Tammany Society. In 1863, also, he assured 
Tammany Hall's absolute control of the city by ef- 
fecting a truce with its rival organization. Wood's 
JMozart Hall, tlie price of ])eace being Wood's elec- 
tion to Congress. This truce brouglit Tweed two 
efficient lieutenants, A. Oakey Hall and Albert 
Cardoza, an a})le lawyer, who was made a judge of 
one of the city courts. Two other men placed upon 
the bench about the same time because "they could 
be relied upon," were John H. ^IcCunn and Cxcorge 
G. Barnard. Other politicians who came into close 
alliance with Tweed were Richard B. Connolly and 
Peter B. Sweeny. 

In 1865 Tweed and his associates secured the elec- 
tion of John T. Hofit'man as ^Nlayor and three years 
later he was elected Governor. At that time the 
charge was freely made that Hoffman's election was 
secured by tlie practice of frauds described as colossal 
and "embracing every known method of corruption 
in the l)allot box." Tammany Hall at the same time 

[167] 



OTIIKK DAYS IX GREENWICH 

i 
secured control of the legislature of the State and the 

Common Council of the City. 

Hall succeeded Hoffman as Mayor; Connolly be- 
came City C()m|)troller: .James Sweeny was City 
Chamhei'hiin and with Tweed supreme in the street 
depai'tment and the Board of Supervisors, the ring 
which had long been in the process of formation "be- 
came completely organized and matured.'" Then 
Tweed and his lieutenants set to work to secure a 
new city charter, which would make doubly sure their 
control of the finances of the city. 

This charter became a law in 1870. It abolished 
the Board of Supervisors, again vesting its functions 
in the ^Nlayor, Recorder and Aldermen of the city, 
and centered responsibility for the administration of 
municipal aff'airs in the Mayor, who was given au- 
thority to appoint all his important subordinates. 
It siu'rendered the Police Department to men con- 
trolled by the ring; it re-organized the Park Depart- 
ment in such manner that three of the five commis- 
sioners became for five years each, tools of Tweed; 
it vacated the office of Street Commissioner, vesting 
all the powers of the office in a Commissioner of 
Public Works to be appointed by the ^Nlayor for a 
term of four years. Tweed received the a])])oint- 
ment. The Governor had no power to remo\'e him 
on charges. He could only be im])eached through 
charges made by the jNIayor, and could only be tried 
in case every one of the six judges of the Court of 
Common Pleas was jjresent. 

[ir,8] 



THE DAYS OF BOSS TWEED 

The new charter also created a Board of Apportion- 
ment made up of the jNIayor, Comptroller, Commis- 
sioner of Piihlic Works and President of the Park 
Department, and vested with power to make all neces- 
sary appropriations for the conduct of the city gov- 
ernment. The men who composed this hoard were 
Hall, Connolly, Tweed and Sweeny, who liad re- 
signed the office of City Chamberlain to become 
President of the Park Department. And in this 
way the ring secured unchecked control of the ex- 
penditures of the city. 

Yet another tool for plunder was forged at this 
time. By a special act of the legislature a Board of 
Audit was created and it was vested with power to ex- 
amine and allow all claims against the city prior to 
1870. Its purpose was to put money into the pockets 
of members of the ring and to reimburse them for 
the large sums they had been compelled to s])end to 
secure the adoption of the new charter by the legisla- 
ture. Tins purpose was promptly put into execution 
and in less than four months after its creation orders 
were made by the Board of Audit for the payment 
of claims to the amount of $6,312,500, ninety per 
cent, of which went into the pockets of the members 
of the ring. 

Yarious other special legislative acts were passed 
whereby the ring had power to raise and expend 
nearly fifty millions of dollars in a single year. 

Other laws were passed which placed the ring in 
more complete control of the Board of Education 

[169] 



OTHEK DAYS IX GREENWICH 

and ol' the Police and Health Boards, while there 
was also created a Hoard of Street Opening and Iin- 
])roveiiK'nt. coni])()se(l of the Mayor, Coni])troller, 
Commissioner of Puhlic AVorks and Tax Commis- 
sioner, vested with power whenever its members 
"deemed it for the ])ublic interest so to do" to close, 
open, widen or straighten any or all of the streets of 
the city. 

The passage of these laws marked th.e cnlmination 
of the ring's power, and it has been said that during 
the winter they were being enacted "Tweed lived in 
Albany with all the state of a sovereign who had 
prodigious favors to bestow or awful penalties to en- 
force." There seemed never to have entered his mind 
a suspicion of the power of an aroused public opin- 
ion. 

The story of the downfall of the ring, however, 
should be prefaced by a In'ief description of the meth- 
ods which it employed to till the pockets of its mem- 
bers. The opening or widening of streets was one 
of the most fruitful sources of illicit gain. A favorite 
method of fraud practiced l)y the ring consisted in the 
payment of enormously increased bills to mechanics, 
arcliitects. furniture makers, and, in some instances 
to unknown persons for supplies and services. It 
was the expectation that an honest bill would ])e 
raised from sixty to ninety per cent. The average 
increase was such as to make it 2)ossible to give sixty- 
seven per cent, to the ring, th.e confederates being al- 
lowed to keep the thirty-three per cent., and of that 

[170] 



THE DAYS OF BOSS TWEED 

thirty-three per cent, probably one-half was a fraud- 
ulent increase. 

This game reached a climax in the County Court 
House, still standing in City Hall Park. Work on 
this structure was begun under a stipulation that the 
cost should not exceed $250,000, but before 1871 more 
than eight millions had been spent on it, one million 
of which was ultimately traced to Tweed's pocket. 

When a contractor submitted a bill he would be 
told to swell the amount of the total, at the same 
time being given to understand that payment de- 
jDended upon compliance with this order. Then a 
warrant would be drawn for the padded claim and 
the contractor paid a sum slightly in excess of his 
original bill, while the balance would be divided 
among the members of the ring. Xor was there any 
immediate danger of detection. Tweed as Commis- 
sioner of Public Works would order work done; as 
President of the Board of Supervisors he would see 
to it that the bills were passed, and then the County 
Auditor, who was his pliant toc^l, would issue warrants 
of payment. 

All this time suspicion was rife in the comnumity. 
Thomas Xast, the cartoonist for Harper's Wceldy, 
was constantly illustrating the iniquities of the ring. 
Tweed's face and figure, with the blazing diamond in 
his shirt front, were always before the public. He 
once said, 'T don't care what the papers print so much 
but I don't like those pictures," and in the end they 
were the cause of Tweed's apprehension. 

[m] 



OTIIEK DAYS IX GREENWICH 

One of tlic |)()liticians of the j)ei'i()(l was James 
O'Brien, a t'oruRT sheriff' of tlie county, wlio in 1S71 
was tile leadei' of the ^'()lln^• Denioeraey. an organiza- 
tion Avliieh liad for its |)ur])ose tlie ovei'thro\\ of the 
power of Tweed in Taniniany Hall. 

'riir()n_t»h O'Brien's iniiuenee a friend of his named 
C'opeland had secured a place as an accountant in the 
office of the Comptroller. The magnitude of the city 
expenditures recorded in the ])ooks and the fact that 
these enormous payments were made to a few ])ersons 
aroused Copeland's suspicions. He transcrihed th.e 
figures and showed the transcript to ^Ir. O'Brien. 
They were taken by the latter to the office of a daily 
newspaper in the city and offered for publication but 
were "declined with thanks." 

Thereupon Mr. O'Brien called upon George Jones, 
publisher of the Times, and handed him the transcripts 
from the Comptroller's accounts. Mr. Jones con- 
sulted his editorial staff and it was decided that the 
figures should be published. This decision was made 
known to ^Ir. O'Brien, who took the incriminating 
accounts, retained them for a short time and then 
returned them to ]SIr. Jones with the unconditional 
permission to publish. 

Tweed in some manner discovered that his guilty 
secrets were about to be published and his desperate 
efforts to forestall the publication were as charac- 
teristic of him as their complete defeat was charac- 
teristic of ^Ir. Jones. 

Tweed sent an offer to buv the Times at anv ])rice. 

[1T2] 



THE DAYS OF BOSS TWEED 

The emissary wlio was sent promptly reported the 
faihire of his mission. Tweed's next move was so 
extraordinary tliat 3Ir. Jones' own account of what 
happened, taken from Harper's Wecklii of February 
22, 1890, deserves to be reproduced here. 

"This conversation (between Tweed's emissary 
"and ^Ir. Jones) occurred in Jones' office in the 
"Times Building, then down town in Printing House 
"Square. A lawyer who was a tenant in the build- 
"ing sent for Mr. Jones to come to his office, as he 
"wished to see him on an important matter. Think- 
"ing that the business pertained to the building, JNIr. 
"Jones went to the lawyer's office, and, being ushered 
"into a private room, was confronted by Richard 
"B. Connolly, the Comptroller, Tweed's partner in 
"crime. T don't want to see this man,' said Mr. 
"Jones and he turned to go out of the room. 'For 
"God's sake!' exclaimed Connolly, iet me say one 
"word to you.' At this appeal ^Ir. Jones stopped. 
"Connolly then made a proposition to forego the 
"publication of the documents Jones had in his pos- 
"session, and offered him an enormous sum of money 
"to do this. The amount of this offer was five mil- 
"lion dollars. As Connolly waited for the answer 
"Mr. Jones said, T don't think the Devil will ever 
"make a higher bid for me than that!' Connolly 
"then began to plead, and drew a graphic picture with 
"what one could do with such a sum. He concluded 
"by saying: 'Why, with five million dollars you 
"can go to Europe and live like a prince!' 'Yes,' 

[173] 



OTHER DAYS I\ (^HEEXWICH 

''said Mv. Jones, 'but I slioiild know tliat I was a 
rascal.' " 

The first iiistallinent of tlie accounts was printed in 
the Times July 22, 1871. Tliey sliowed the ])aynient 
of the sum of $o,()68,()4() durino- the years 18()1) and 
1870 for "repairs and furniture" for the new Court 
House. Each Avarrant was si(>ned by Coni])ti-()lIer 
Connolly and ^layor Hall, and all were endorsed to 
"Ingersoll & Co.," that is, James H. Ingersoll, the 
agent of the ring. 

The Times followed with other installments of 
secret accounts more fully revealing the extent of 
the plundering. 

It had unmasked the ring and it pursued its ad- 
vantage with extraordinary energy. An immense 
number of co})ies of each issue of the paper contain- 
ing the figures, running into hundreds of thousands, 
was published. These proofs awakened the slumber- 
ing city. The Committee of Seventy, made up of 
prominent citizens, was formed early in Se])tember to 
obtain legal proof of the frauds revealed by the Tiini-s 
and to prosecute the offenders. At the same time 
Samuel J. Tilden, aided by Charles O'Conor and 
Francis Kernan, all three lawyers of great ability, 
set to work to achieve the same end. JMr. O'Conor, 
v^ho was then the unchallenged leader of the New 
York bar, consented to aid in the investigation only 
upon condition that he should serve without com- 
pensation. 

The task of bringing the offenders to justice ap- 

[174] 



THE DAYS OF BOSS TWEED 

peared at the outset a difficult and nearly hopeless 
one. Tweed was insolent and defiant. The Board 
of Aldermen and all the local officers were members 
of the ring. 

But in September, 1871, an effective weapon was 
unexpectedly placed in the hands of Mr. Tilden. 
One morning in that month he was visited by a mes- 
senger from Comptroller Connolly, who w^as con- 
vinced that it was Tweed's intention to offer him up 
as a sacrifice to appease public sentiment on the 
charge that the frauds had been committed in his 
department, by his connivance and for his exclusive 
benefit. 

This the messenger explained to Mr. Tilden, and 
asked the latter's advice, suggesting that it might be 
best for Connolly to resign his office. Subsequently 
Mr. Tilden suggested that Connolly appoint Andrew 
H. Green, an eminent and honored lawyer, his deputy 
and then surrender the office to him. This was done 
and Mr. Green became head of the Comptroller's 
office, with power to examine and publisli all ex- 
penditures under the ring, and to prevent any con- 
tinuation of the fraudulent practices. 

Though a partially successful attempt was made to 
burn all the vouchers soon after Mr. Green took pos- 
session, of the charred scraps remaining (great 
bundles of them), Mr. Tilden was engaged for some 
ten days in making a searching analysis, which fur- 
nished legal proof of the crime. He succeeded also 
in tracing through one of the banks the checks which 

[175] 



OTHER DAYS IN GREENWICH 

had been issued in ])ayment of the aeeoiiiits wliieh 
the vouch.ers ])iirj)()rted to represent. 

Indeed, ]Mr. Tilden's study of the vouchers and th.e 
bank accounts lias often been pi'onounced one of the 
most remarkable pieces of analysis ever offered to 
the courts. Judge Noah Davis, of the Supreme 
Court, who sat upon the trial of Tweed, and heard this 
demonstration offered in evidence, afterwards de- 
clared it as perfect a specimen of logic and mathemat- 
ical proof as the books anywhere contained. 

With checks, stu])s, charred vouchers and other 
documents, ^li'. Tilden was able to show the exact 
amount of money stolen in each given instance and 
the exact division of the s])oils. It was, however, 
then or later impossible to make an accurate estimate 
of the total amount of money stolen. })y the ring, l^e- 
tween IHOO and 1871 the debt of the city increased 
from $20.()()(),()()() to $101,0()(),()()(). and it is believed 
that at least $U.()()().()0() of this increase represented 
fraud and theft. 

The appointment of ^Ir. (xreen acting Comptroller 
thoroughly alarmed Tweed, and he made desperate 
attempts to stem the tide that was setting against 
him. At the Democratic State Convention, held in 
October, he received the nomination to the State Sen- 
ate and his personal ])0]mlarity in his district, where 
he had been bountiful in his gifts to the poor, assured 
his election. Rut he never took liis seat. He was 
arrested Octobei- 2(). 1871, in a civil action instituted 
bv the Committee of Seventy and released on bail. 

[170] 



THE DAYS OF BOSS TWEED 

In December he was indicted for fraud and felony, 
and two weeks later he resigned his post as Commis- 
sioner of Public Works, ceasing about the same time 
to be the official head of Tammany Hall. He was 
brought to trial aftei- many delays in January, 1873, 
but the ring still retained sufficient influence to se- 
cure a disagreement of the jury. 

On a second trial in the following Xovember he was 
convicted on fifty out of fiftv-five charges aoainst 
him and sentenced by Judge Davis to an aggregate 
of twelve years imprisonment. But at the end of 
the year, Tweed was released, the Court of Appeals 
holding that he could not begin, to serve a new sen- 
tence of a year at the end of a term of service of 
punishment upon another count. 

He was at once re-arrested up'on civil actions to 
recover six million dollars stolen from the city, and 
being unable to obtain bail was kept in confinement 
in IahIIow Street jail. There he remained until De- 
cember, 1875. wlien lie effected his escape and was 
next heard of in Vigo, Spain. Here he was arrested 
and brought l)ack in a Federal man-of-war and re- 
turned to jail. This was in Xovember, 1876, and in 
the following ^larch the city recovered judgment 
against him for $6, .500, 000. He could not pay. 
In April, 1878, he died in jail. 

I have told this long story of Tweed in order that 
what follows, connecting him with Greenwich, may 
be more significant to the younger generation. And 
before I close this cliapter it should appear that 

[177] 



OTIIKU DAYS IX GKKKXWKH 

Tweed, more than any otliei- man of liis time, fore- 
saw New York's imperial future. 

It was at his initiative that, in 18()8, the lei^ishiture 
chartered a eom])any for the eonstruetion of a ra])id 
transit suhway on hues nearly identical with the 
lower half of the route now in operation, and in the 
same year he was instrumental in settin<^' a])art in 
Central Park a site for the present Metro])()litan 
^Museum of Art. 

Credit must he given him foi' the establishment 
of fine floating' baths, the Newsl)oys' Lodging House 
and the city's paid fire department, which has since 
become a model for the world. He did much to aid 
the extension and betterment of Central Park, and it 
is a matter of record that those who had the work in 
charge never appealed to him in vain for legislation 
or for funds. 

No suspicion of fraud ever attached to this great 
undertaking, and it is said that Tweed ordered his 
follow^ers to keep hands oif the park. Another great 
work designed and accom])lishe(l by Tweed was the 
widening of Broadwav from .*32nd to .59th Street and 
the construction of what was long known as the 
Boulevard, but is now officially a section of Hroad- 
way, and which before its improvement was a narrow 
unpaved country road. He also led in the creation 
of the system of city-owned and improved water 
front, in which .$()(),()()(),()()() is invested, and which has 
proved a boon to commerce and at the ])resent time 
affords what is regarded by students of the subject 

[178] 



THE DAYS OF BOSS TWEED 

as the most striking example offered here or abroad 
of profitable municipal ownership. "Tweed was not 
all bad," once declared the late ]Mayor William L. 
Strong. "He gave us the Boulevard, the annexed 
district, streets, parks, docks, schools and liospitals." 



[179] 



CHAPTER XVI 

WILLIAM M. TWEED IX GREENWICH 

WILLIAM M. TWEED was a proniinent char- 
acter in Grecmvich for a number of years. He 
took no part in tlie afl'airs of tlie town, but his pres- 
ence was felt, with an effect very different on some 
than others. The sensible, well-bred men and women 
of the place greatly regretted his presence. They 
felt that the town could not grow in wealth and 
character, rendering Greenwich desirable as a place 
of residence so long as he remained to make it no- 
torious. 

It pi'obably was true in those years that outsiders 
gave us a sneer when they alluded to (Treenwich as 
the home of Tweed and the rendezvous of the Ameri- 
cus Club. But to the boys who admired his checker- 
board team, his ponies and dog carts, he was an object 
of admiration.. If they ever noticed Tom Nast's 
caricatures in ILirpcr^y, ]]' ccJdn, the purpose of such 
things was probal)ly lost and as for reading all the 
pa])ers said about him, detrimental to his reputation, 
they hardly took the pains. He was a living hero, 
with untold wealth, a great deal of which he dispensed 
locally with a liberal hand. 

It is not certain whether he came here in 1S()() or 

[180] 



WILLIAM M. TWEED 

18G1. The first knowledge tliat came to any of the 
village hoys was that a numher of tents were pitched 
on Round Island just south of the old potato cellar. 
And this fact left us in considerable uncertainty as to 
what the tents meant. It was tlie talk amono- the 
boatmen in the harbor and at Ephraim Head's on the 
steamboat dock that the tents were occupied by a 
club, but Tweed's name was not mentioned and it 
was not until the following summer tliat the name 
Americus Club was heard. 

But Tweed had visited Greenwich during the tii'st 
summer th.at the tents appeared. Certain members 
of the club, which afterwards ])ecame the Americus 
Club, had preceded liim. This club was both social 
and political, being composed of Republicans and 
Democrats, although more of the latter prevailed 
than the former. I have never seen a list of the 
members during those early years of the club's exist- 
ence, but I have a complete list of tlie membership 
of 1871, which was the most prosperous year in the 
club's history. 

It was C^eorge E. JNIann, Charles H. Hall and P. 
B. Van Arsdale who one day hired a sailboat at City 
Island and sailed up the Sound, with the expectation 
of returning before sunset. But the weather sud- 
denly changed after they had left Execution I^ight 
far astern and rather than go about in the stiff south- 
west breeze that was blowing, they concluded to make 
a harbor for the night. Accordingly, they found 
good holding ground for the anchor under the lee 

[181] 



OTHER DAYS IX GREENWICH 

of Round Island and the tender took them ashore 
where they pitehed a tent which they brought from 
the yacht. 

The place Mas entirely new to them and they did 
not realize its beauty until the followino- morning;. 
I have often heard Charles H. Hall tell of that next 
morning when the sun rose and revealed all the 
beauty of their surroundings. 

Finch's Island, later known as Tweed's Island, had 
a beautiful grove of trees and its irregular shores 










TWEED'S ISLAND, 1S71 

were not disfigured by sea wails. Captain's Island 
lighthouse was a short wooden affair to which was 
attached the diminutive home of the keeper. The 
same little house is now used as a summer kitchen 
and store room, the present stone building being 
erected in 18()8. There was no fog horn then. 

The more the young fellows looked around the 
better they liked the place and it was not until after- 
noon that they sailed for Xew York. Hall, who was 
afterwards secretary of the Americus Club, was one 
of the clerks in the Tom})s Police Court. He was 
always a Republican, but he was a great favorite with 

[182] 



WILLIAM M. TWEED 

^Ir. Tweed and as long as Tweed's influence lasted 
Charlie Hall had a lucrative place. 

Mr. Tweed was foreman of the Big Six Volunteer 
Fire Co. with headquarters in an engine house on the 
Bowery. All the members of this company sooner 
or later were members of the Americus Club. 

Tweed was accustomed to sit with the firemen 
around the engine house and he soon learned of the 
trip up the Sound and of the discovery made by his 
three mates. Their frequent allusion to the beauty 
of the spot finally caught Tweed's attention, with 
such force that he determined to investigate for him- 
self. 

Tweed and Hall took the train one afternoon con- 
sisting of an old wood-burning engine and yellow, 
gilt-trimmed cars, making the trij) in the best time 
of those days, one hour and twenty minutes from 27th 
Street. They called on Oliver ^Nlead, then owner of 
the property, and secured his permission to camp out 
on Round Island. They took possession a few days 
afterward and remained to the end of the season. 
They had two or three sailboats with enormous jibs 
and when they were not bathing on the beach or fish- 
ina- or sailing, they were over at Rockv Neck. 

The saloon on the point was an attraction as was 
Capt. Abraham BrinckerhofF's back dooryard, where 
they exchanged sea tales and discussed the merits of 
their boats by the hour. Later Captain Brincker- 
ho?f and JNIr. Tweed became very warm friends, and 
the latter gave the Captain many souvenirs and pic- 

[183] 



OTIIKU DAYS IX (iUKEXWRII 

tures, that constituted an interesting asset in his es- 
tate after his death. Among these are three ]:)hoto- 
graphs hy A. Cxnrney. framed in black wahiut and 
hanging at tlie present time in my office. One rep- 
resents Indian Harbor from Tweed's Island, includ- 
ing the first club house built the year following the 
first camp on Round Island. 
This building was of simple architecture, two 

stories high, with a broad 
veranda. Painted under 
the peak of the roof in 
prominent black letters 
were tlie words "Ameri- 
cus Club of New York." 
It nuist have been about 
one hundred feet in 
width. On the first floor 
was a spacious reception 
room, a dining-room and 
a kitchen in the rear. 
This house stood on the extremity of the point nearly 
in front of where Klias C. Benedict's house now 
stands. When the new house, which afterwards was 
known as the Morton House and later the Indian 
Harbor Hotel, was built, the old house was removed 
to a }K)int in "Chimney Corner," now occupied by ]Mr. 
Benedicts boa' house. Tliere it remained, somewhat 
altered and enlarged as the servants' (juarters for the 
hotel until ISD'J when it was torn down with all the 
other l)uil(lings on the Point. 

[18-t] 




CAPT. 15RIXCKKHH(M F 
1816-1894 





— X 



WILLIAM M. TWEED 

The other picture represents Mr. Tweed with the 
members of the ckib gathered about liim on the rocks 
at tlie west side of the house and on the veranda ; two 
groups of "the boys," as Tweed used to call them. It 
is quite easy to distinguish their features. The presi- 
dent of the club is dressed in a frock coat buttoned 
close about him. His hat is off, and a white neck- 
tie is beneath his chin. By his side stands Charles 
H. Hall, somewhat foppishly dressed in white 
trousers and dark coat. John and Dick Kimmons, 
great tall twins, and P. B. Van Arsdale are close to 
George E. Mann, who was Commodore in charge of 
the club fleet. These pictures were taken August 
30, 1803. 

Tlie other picture that Captain Brinckerhoff had, 
was a quarter size India ink photograph of jNIr. 
Tweed by the artist Brady, a famous war-time pho- 
tographer. This picture was autographed but un- 
dated. It originally hung in the parlor of tlie new 
club house, and went into the possession of Capt. 
Brinckerhoff when the club broke up. John W. De- 
laney of this place now owns it. 

In the original club house the Americus boys found 
their greatest eniovment. It was more like a camp. 
The members appeared in their shirt sleeves, and 
lolled about on the rocks, or under the shade of the 
tall oaks, enjoying in the most unrestricted fashion 
their summer outing. Occasionally a visitor from the 
city or the village would appear, in which event Sec- 

[187] 



OTHER DAYS IX GKEEXWICII 

retary Hall Mould do tlif honoi's, with an old-fash- 
ioned cake hasket and a little wine. 

Sonietinies the eliih nienihers, in a ])()dy, would 
saunter up to the village, a very small eolleetiou of 
liouses then, with a post office that paid the postmaster 
only $2.50 per annum. But when they did appear, 
with all sorts of ])ranks played upon each other and 
with jolly songs there was no one in the village that 
did not realize it, especially tlie children. 

The new cluh house was completed in 1871 and 
stood on the point till the summer of 189*2. It was 
three stories high, with a mansard roof, a tall tower, 
from which extended east and north two wings, termi- 
nating also in towers. It was a well-proportioned 
huilding. not architecturally had. although tlie archi- 
tect. Gage Inslee, had a lingering law suit in our 
courts in the endeavor to collect his fees. It occu- 
pied a commanding place on the point and, painted 
white, was a landmark for many miles up and down 
the Sound. 

The summer of 1872 was the first season of its oc- 
cupancy after its full completion. It had heen fur- 
nished without regard to expense. Th.e carpet in 
the great front room was woven ahroad. one single 
piece, a hundred feet long, with tigers' heads in the 
corners an.d the center. A grinning tiger was the 
emblem of the club and Pottier c^ Stymus, who had 
l)ig contracts for city furnishings, put the tiger's head 
upon every piece of furniture wherever it was pos- 
sible, 

[188] 



WILLIA^NI :M. tweed 

But Mr. Tweed and his associates were never happy 
in this building. He had a grand room in the cen- 
tral tower, and Secretary Hall's suite was next, but 
in 1873 the revelations came and the place was aban- 
doned as a club house. It was said that $105,000 was 
the expense of running the club that season. 

Tweed's best enjoyment of his club was before 




THE TWEED BATH HOUSE 

Built 1870 



1870. He was considered, in Greenwich, a very rich 
man and yet compared with the ow^iers of the pres- 
ent-day fortunes, his circumstances were moderate. 
He was an extremely generous man, and indeed it 
has many times been said that liad he not been anx- 
ious to enrich every one of his acquaintances no no- 
tice would have been taken of his irregularities. The 
amount he made out of the city contracts was small 
compared to the sums which went to his friends; and 
some whom he supposed were his friends were dis- 

[189] 




OTIIKK DAYS IX (iKKEXWICII 

loyal ill the gloomy fall of 187'i wIr-ii his arrest and 

iiulictiiK'iit were acconi])lislie(l. 

Xo mail from (ii-eeii- 
wieli. however hiimi)le, 
ever went to that little 
offiee in Diiane Street for 
lielp that he did not <J'et it. 
If ]Mr. Tweed heard of a 
threatened foreelo.siire he 
bought the mortgage and 
eolleeted sneh interest as 

DAXiKL 8. MEAD. Ju. ^^'"^ mortgagors found it 
1840-1888 eonvenieiit to ])ay. The 

Land Reeords show these transaetions and they also 
show where from time to time, INIr. Tweed took a deed 
of a small j)ieee of pro])- 
erty, whieh it was said the 
owners were unable to dis- 
pose of to any one else, 

Karly in the summer of 
1870, "Sir. Tweed desired 
to have a family bath- 
house and with that end in 
view he pureliased on 
June 3, of Daniel S. 
JNIead, three hundred and 
thirty-five feet of land on 
the easterly side of Rocky X'eck harbor 
paid was .$2,000. 

On the mud fiats south of the causewav to William 

[190] 




H. W. U. HOYT 

State Senator 1869 

184:3-1894. 



Th 



e price 



he 





HEUSTED W. H. HOYT 

.\s Judge of tlie Borougli Court 



WILLIAM M. TWEED 



J. Smith's dock, he ))uilt an octagonal bath house, 
which was daily used by his family at high tide. The 
interior contained a bathing pool, the mud having 
been removed, and replaced by a large quantity of 
fine sand. Around tliis central pool were a num- 
ber of rooms for the bath- 
ers, and it afforded a safe 
and secluded bathing 
place, approached by a 
wooden bridge from the 
shore. ]Mr. Tweed sel- 
dom, if ever, visited this 
house. 

After the stress of hard 
times, on February 8, 
1876, he sold this water 
front to Daniel S. JMead, 
Jr., a son of the original 
owner, for $1,000. The 
sale included the bath- 
house wliich is said to have 
cost more than a thousand 
dollars. The house was subsequently moved to the 
shore and for a time was used as a dwelling. I^ater 
it was converted into an office for the Electric Light 
Co. and is now used by that company as a store room. 
The outward ap])earance of the })uilding and its color 
remain the same, witli the possible exception of an 
added cupola. Portions of this land which cost 
Tweed twenty-seven dollars a front foot, have since 

[193] 




H. W. R. HOYT 

Age of 20 



OTIIKU DAYS IX (iKEKXWICH 



been sold for about two buiKh'ed dolhirs per foot. 
After jNlr. Tweed was arrested in 187'i tbe kite 
Col. Ileusted \V. K. Iloyt was bis loeal counsel. 
William L. Ferris, a elerk in liis office, made frequent 
trips to Ludlow Street jail in tbose days. Tweed 
occupied tbree si)lendidly furn.isbed rooms on tbe 
ground floor. Tbe first was a reception room cov- 
ered witb velvet carpet and supplied witb luxurious 

coucbes and cbairs. Ad- 
joining was tbe business 
office wbere bis private 
secretary, S. Foster 
Dewey, bad bis desk and 
beyond tbat was ]Mr. 
Tweed's bedroom. 

Once wben money 
seemed to be a little 
scarce witb tbe old man, 
PHiLAXDEH lu TTox be brouglit out a large 

1813-1878 K n ' +' 

bundle ot promissory 
notes, given by oyster men and mecbanics. but tbe 
notes were of no value. "\Vell," said jMr. Tweed, 
"tbey bad a value once. I bad a lot of pleasure in 
taking tbem, wben tbe money was needed." 

It was in I860, after be bad esta])lisbed tbe Ameri- 
cus Club in tbeir first bouse at Indian Flarbor tbat 
JMr. Tweed became an actual resident of tbe village, 
altbougb voting in New ^'ork. He bougbt of I^illie 
A. Hardenbrook wbat bad been known as tbe Pbil- 
ander Button place. JMr, Button, wbo was tbe prin- 

[194] 




WILLIAM M. TWEED 



cipal of tlie Greenwich Academy, had purchased it 
April 1, 1848, of Alvan Mead for $5,400. It in- 
cluded eighty acres, now a })art of Milhank. He 
huilt a modest house on it and sold the huildin.g and 
forty acres, in January, 1859, to ^Irs. Hardenbrook 
for $15,000. Sh.e sold it to ^Nlr. Tweed's wife. ^Nlary 
Jane Tweed, in 1865, for $18,000. 

jNIr. Tweed remodeled 
and enlarged the liouse 
and built a $40,000 barn 
that attracted a great 
deal of attention locally 
as well as in New York. 
The Nctc York Sun sent 
u]) a repoi'ter who de- 
scribed this Nvonderful 
barn and its contents, 
telling hoAv the horses 

were standing on pleated 
straw. The })arn remained in use till about 1907 
M'hen it was torn down. 

Mr. Robert \Villiamson, the superintendent at W\\- 
bank, has told me that it was no easy matter to ac- 
com])lisl] as the building was braced with hackmatack 
braces and trimmed with black walnut and other ex- 
pensive wood. 

Tweed was a lovei- of horses and he had some fine 
ones in his barn. His checkerboard four-in-hand 
team, to which I have already alluded, consisted of 
coal l)lack and nnlk white horses, a black and white 

[195] 




DR. L. 1'. .lOXKS 

In 1884 
18K)-190r 



O'lIIKK DAYS IX (;RKEXWTCH 

and a wliitc and black in alternating coloi's. They 
were driven to a very lii_i)li two-seated depot wa(>on. 
Tlie year 18()7 was remarkable for tlie craze for high 
carriages. 

Tweed ()ccu])ied tlie back seat of tliis conveyance, 
with its enormously high springs. I'snally liis son 
was by his side, but his great weight of nearly three 

hundred pounds gave the 
wagon a decided list. 
He generally wore a 
stove lM])e hat and the 
closely buttoned frock 
coat and white tie. It 
was this rig which took 
him to the railroad sta- 
tion that summer morn- 
ing in 1870 when he 
J()si:ph g. merritt bought the eighteen acres 

ot r rederick Mead. 
E. Jay Edwards recently told this story in The 
Evening Mail, but I allude to it particularly because 
in some (juarters it has been (loul)ted and the asser- 
tion made that JNIr. INIead never owned land east of 
wliat is now JNIilbank Avenue. 

That street was a very narrow country road in 
those davs, called Love Eane. It was never digni- 
tied with a proper street name until ^Irs. Jeremiah 
JNIilbank generously j)ut the Town Clock in the Con- 
gregational Church steeple and then Dr. Leander 
P. Jones had it changed to JNIilbank Avenue. 

[196] 




WILLIAM M. TWEED 

In 1870 Frederick ^lead owned eighteen acres 
directly across the street from the Congregational 
Churcl), hounded on the west hy Love I^ane and on 
the south l)y Davis Lane, now Davis Avenue. There 
were a few apple trees on it and at times INIr. Mead 
used it for pasture. It made a fine romping ])lace 
for the Academy hoys. Down at the south end was 
an old yellow harn, the front doors o^' which were 
locked with a padlock much larger tlian is made m 
these days. This lock made a fine target, although 
it was quite a long time before any one of the hoys 
^vas able to ])ut a bullet from a pistol through the 
keyhole of that lock. It was finally accomplished 
how'ever and the back of the lock knocked off by a 
man now very well known in Xew \'()i-k City, as a 
mining engineer. 

Tweed had long wanted this land, and when INIr. 
uNIead declined to put a price on it. Tweed said, 
"\Vell, you will take a Tweed price, will you not?" 
He had ])aid for several small places about town, 
anything that the owners demanded and when the 
price was large, as it always was, it had been usual 
to designate it as a "Tweed price." Tweed knew this 
and when he intimated that he was willing to pay a 
"Tweed price," he exjjected to pay more than the land 
was worth. In reply ISlr. ^Nlead said, "Why, yes. 
I'll sell for $.5.5,000," which was at least four times 
the actual value of the land at that time. But it did 
not feaze ^Ir. Tw^eed. He asked Joseph G. JNIerritt, 
the ticket agent at the railroad station, for pen and ink 

[197] 



OTIIKK 1)A^ S I\ (iRKKXWrCII 

and taking' out a pocket clicck book he wrote a elieck 
loi- the anioimt to Mr. Mead's order and asked liiiii to 
send him a dvvd eoiu eyiiit>' tlie i)ro])erty to Mary 
Jane Tweed. Slie hehl it until 187*K wlien it was 
inehided \\ith all the rest of tlie Tweed plaee in the 
sale to Jeremiah ^lilhank for $47, .500. 

AVhen Tweed bought this land the stone fence that 
enclosed it from the street was perhaps a century old. 
and somewhat out of oi'der. He replaced it with 
the present hluestone wall, which extends from the 
])r()])erty of A. Foster Higgins along Putnam Ave- 
nue, down Milhan.k Avenue to where the old yellow 
barn stood at the top of the hill across the road from 
the cemetery. 

In those days the north end of Love Lane at its 
junction with Putnam Avenue turned with an angle 
to tile west. AVhen it was known that Mr. Tweed 
w^as about to build the new stone wall, ^Nlr. Solomon 
jMead, a member of th.e Eoard of Burgesses, called 
upon him to see how much he would ask for a small 
angle of this valuable land to straigliten the road. 
"Not a cent, not a cent." said Mr. Tweed. "Take 
all you want; just 1/ave your surveyor drive the stakes 
and 1 wqll build my wall according to his lines." And 
the wall stands there to-day just as ])erfect as when 
^Ir. Tweed finished it, more than forty-two years 
ago. 

Ik'fore I close this chapter it seems best to give 
the entire roll of members of the Americus Club in 

[198] 



WILLIAM M. TWEED 

1871. JNIany of them besides Tweed were promi- 
nent and will be remembered by the older generation. 
Perhaps in no other way ^\dll this list be permanently 
preserved. The officers were William M. Tweed, 
237 Broadway, President; Henry Smith, 300 Mul- 
berry St., Vice President; Charles H. Hall, 135 3Iadi- 
son St., Secretary; George E. INIann, 197 ]Mon- 
roe St., Captain; John Vanderbeck, 221 Christie St., 
Actuary. Besides the officers were the following 
members: John S. Betts, Francis Vanderbeck, John 
^IcGarigal, P. B. Van Arsdale, William Davison, 
Lewis J. Kirk, Edward A. Davin, Lawrence Clancy, 
Francis Kinney, Edward ^Marrenner, William H. 
Schaffer, William B. Dunley, Joseph Southworth, 
John Scott, Edward J. Shandley, George W. Butt, 
James M. Macgregor, William L. Ely, Christian W. 
Schaffer, Walter Roche, Peter D. Braisted, Edward 
D. Bassford. Andrew J. Garvey, \Villiam K. 
O'Brien, George W. Rosevelt, Patrick H. Keenan, 
Joseph Shannon, James L. ^Miller, Terence Farley, 
Sheridan Shook, AVilliam H. Charlock. John T. 
Barnard, James Watson, Henry H. Huelat, Edward 
Boyle, William P. Stymus, John Pickford, Jr., 
Owen W. Brennan, Eugene Diu'nin, Charles G. 
Cornell, John J. Ford, Edwin ^I. Hagerty, Edward 
Hogan, Claudius S. Grafulla, Morgan Jones, Wes- 
ley S. Vard, John T. King, Edward Kearney, Joseph 
B. Voung, C'^^rnelius Corson, Robert M. Taylor, 
Edward Jones, Joseph A. Jackson, Amaziah D. 

[199] 



OTIIKU DAYS IN CiKKEXWRIl 

Uarl)t'r. CMiarles L. Flciiiiiio". .Tacol) Sharp, Kdward 
Cuddy. .lames O'l^i-ii-n. .lohii Sattei'lce. Andrew 
liKakU'V. Thomas Doiiohoe. .Maiiiii H. Hrowii, 
'I'homas 1^. Tripler. dohii T. MeCTOwan. .rohn ]Mc. B. 
Daxidsoii. James II. Iiiyersoll. William C\ Kogers, 
Sol. Sayles. Klhiii A. Woodward. CTe()ri»e S. ]Miller, 
John 11. Keysei'. William C. Dewey. Daniel lU'rrien. 
Da\ id Miller. James Uyan. Michael J. Sliandley, 
Isaae J. Oliver. Charles L. Lawrence. Henry T). 
Felter. John 1^\ Chamherlain. James W. Hoyle, 
Chris O'Connor. Kruseman van Klten. Daniel 
\\'inants. Alexander I'rear. James Fisk. Ji-.. Jay 
(Tould. Thomas Kii'kpatriek. Jose])li (i. Harrison, 
Reeves K. Selmes. Charles K. I.oew. Thomas C. 
Fields, (Teorge II. Mitchell, John l*yne. James J. 
(inml)leton. Thomas II. FeriMs. Thos. J. O'Donolnie, 
James K. Jones. John (xarxey. James L. Ilarway, 
T. Augustus Philli})s. John M. Carnochan. Matthew 
T. Brennan. James Barkei', William H. Horrows. 
Henry A. Barnum. Schayler Flalsey, James S. \\'at- 
son, Xewell Sturtevant. James W. Collier, Henry 
T. Helmhohl. (ieorye A. Osgood, John Hriee, 
Francis McCahc. John II. Harnett. James K. Coul- 
ter. (Running S. Bedford, (ieorge Ct. Barnard. An- 
drew Bleakley, Jr.. Augustus Funk. Peter 'i'l'ainer. 
AVilliam Schirmer. Adolph K. (xeorgi, Joseph Koch, 
William A"an Tassell. John Pentland, Thomas Ca- 
nary. S. Fostei- Dewey. Dennis Burns. James ^Ic- 
Ciowan. (Tcorge (t. Wolf, l-'rank S. F'.. Heck. Jose])h 
1). C. Andrade. John 1). Welch. Jr.. Henry M. Wil- 

[200] 



WILLI A.AJ ,M. T\VEP:D 

liams. Albert IL Wood. Joliii W. Oliver, Janies 
G. Dimond. George B. Xnn Brunt. Alex W. Harvey, 
Richard ()"(Torniaii. William Hitchniaii. 'I'liouia^ J. 
Creamer. 



[201] 



CHAPTER XVII 

LINWOOD THE JOHN ROMER 

THE 2jlace, now known as jNlilbank, owned l)y 
jNIrs. A. A. Anderson, was tlie lionie of William 
]M. Tweed. The present property includes much 
more territory, eighty acres being its extent, when it 
was known as Linwood. INIr. Tweed was very proud 
of the place and lavished money on it without stint. 
The name Linwood seems to have been a favorite 
of his, because he had a yacht of the same name and 
the word was prominent on his stationery. 

The yacht Lhitcood was a modest craft, possibly a 
catboat. His big sailing yacht, a jib and mainsail 
boat, bore the name of his wife, iMari/ Jane Tweed. 
These boats, and indeed all the pleasure boats in the 
harbor in those days, would not compare very favor- 
ably with the boats of the present time. When it was 
reported that Tweed had built a steam yacht, a good 
deal of interest was manifest along the water front. 
There may have been steam yachts long before, but 
none had been in this harbor, at least not to remain 
any length of time. 

When she came steaming in from Northport where 
she was launched, she was considered a wonder. Dr. 
William Schirmer, Abraham Brinckerhoff, Simeon 

[202] 



LIXWOOD— THE JOHX R0:MER 

^lorrell and a string of the club members were on the 
steamboat clock as she came to an anchor. It seemed 
to me that none of them was very enthusiastic about 
her. 

Her hull was shaped somewhat like an ocean-going 
tug, although only half the size of such a vessel. 
Her graceful mold was well-nigh destroyed in ef- 
fect by the boxlike structure which made a large, 
high, and elegantly furnished cabin. She had side 
wheels, housed in like those of an old-fashioned ferry- 
boat, and her name which was displayed on the pilot 
house in large gilt letters was that of the owner. 
Tweed took a great deal of comfort in his pioneer 
steam yacht. 

In tliose days races among the oyster boats were 
common and regattas, in which those boats figiu'ed, 
were organized several times during the season. 
They were very fast jib and mainsail boats and often 
stowed below were })alloon jibs and topsails that on 
occasion were run up to their places, when some 
other similar craft was showing a disposition to take 
the lead. There were no steamers then for oyster 
dredging and among the owners of these sailing ves- 
sels there was much rivalry. It was not limited to 
Greenwich oystermen, for these graceful little ves- 
sels came to join in the regattas from across the 
Sound. They came also from Xorwalk, Five ^lile 
River and ^Nlamaroneck. 

Xothing pleased ^Nlr. Tweed better than to witness 
a race between these boats, and he always tendered 

[203] 



OTHER DAYS IX GREENWICH 

his steam vaclit for the use of tlie iu(l<»'fs and the 
press. Of course that meant an elaborate spread in 
the cabin, with a lot of guests always eager to quench 
their thirst. While the yacht was homely, she was 
very comfortable, for the saloon was large, high and 
square. The table in the center on such occasions 
was loaded with all kinds of good things. 

To a hungry youth — and what youth is not in- 
variably hungry — these yacht races were memorable 
events. Plenty to see and plenty to eat, what ex- 
periences were they! And how well I recall the al- 
most affectionate way in which ^Ir. Tweed would put 
his pudgy hand on my shoidder, with the remark, 
"Boy, did you get enough down below '■ Better go 
down and get another bird or a plate of whitebait." 
Of course he had no interest in me, except such feel- 
ings as any host possesses for a guest, but beyond 
that was his intense desire to stand well with the press. 
In a mixed crowd his first thought was for the news- 
paper representatives. 

He had a great admiration and affection for 
Greenwich. He often steamed the yacht down to 
Jones' Stone and then l)ack to the mouth of the Cos 
Cob harbor, and back again to Byram, all the while 
watching and commenting on the beauty of the shore. 

One day he asked me to bring my camp stool near 
the capacious chair he occupied in the bow, and with 
a wave of his hand he directed my attention to all 
the wooded shore from Byram Point to Cos Cob, re- 
marking: "I shall not live to see the day, but possibly 

[204] 



LINWOOD— THE JOHN ROMER 

you. and certainly your children, will see all this 
land occupied by the fine estates of New York busi- 
ness men. In my judgment Ochre Point at New- 
port is not as favorable for places of residence as 
Field Point and Nelson Bush's farm." The latter 
is now Belle Haven Park. Perhaps I looked in- 
credulous, for he at once repeated the prophecy with 
emphasis and with just the suspicion of a shadow^ on 
liis face he added: "^Vllen I am dead, say twenty- 
five years from now, 1 wish you would come out here 
and see how near 1 have hit it." He never lived to 
see his dream realized, but it came true in less time 
than he allotted. 

His great hobby during those days was a daily 
steamboat to New Vork. He supposed that such an 
enterprise would yield a large pecuniary ])rofit, and 
the subject was frequently on h.is lips, when aboard 
the yacht. He would call a few members of the club 
about him, an.d ask their opinion, none of whom knew 
anything more about it than he; yet he would seek 
from them information on the cost of coal, the prob- 
able number of passengers and the amount of freight 
likely to be carried. He exercised his own judgment 
finally, but he was led astray in this instance by his 
overweening desire to increase the popularity and the 
convenience of Indian Harbor. 

While he could figure out in a moment the prol)- 
able majority of a certain candidate in a city elec- 
tion, he had no idea of the possibility of the success 
or failure of such an enterprise. In.deed. it is prob- 

[205] 



OTIIEK DAYS IX GKEEXWICII 

ahlf tliat lie had no anxiety on that ])()int, j)r()\ ided 
lie aeeoniplished his purpose. 

One day as we were sitting' on the wide eaiic settee 
haek of the j)ilot house Mr. Tweed appealed to C'apt. 
Abe Erinekerhott' and I reeall how the latter twisted 
the tobaeeo under his tont^ue and drawled out: "She 
won't earn the purser's salary, ]\Ir. Tweed.'' The 

latter looked quite crest- 
fallen, and said, "Do you 
think so, Abe?" And 
that was all he did say 
for fully ten minutes ex- 
cept to order up some 
seltzer. 

l^iit as usual INIr. 

Tweed had his way. and 

he had a steamboat, the 

T. F. SKCOK beautiful Jolin liomcr. 

1^"^-^""^ She was a very fast boat 

and she did not end her career until the middle 

eighties when she was on the line between Boston, 

Hing'ham, Hull and Xantasket. 

He talked about his plans, as they matured. He 
was very particular about a l)artender, and eventu- 
ally he selected just the ri^»ht man as well as excellent 
officers for the steamer. 

The ]{()incr came from Wilmington, Del. She 
was built by the famous tii'm of Harlan & Hollings- 
wortb. and was su])])lie(l with iVUaire enoines. The 
Allaire Engine Co. built most of the marine engines 

[•2()(>] 




LIXWOOD— THE JOHX ROMER 

installed immediately after the war. The president 
of the Allaire Co. was Theodocius F. Secor, who 
resided on Lake Avenue for many years and died 
April 27, 1901, at the age of 92. His widow still 
lives here. 

The Romer's furnishings were luxurious and her 
s])eed was greater than most boats of her length and 
tonnage. The price , 
asked was $50,000, but 
her owners were pecun- 
iarily embarrassed and 
]Mr. Tweed got her for 
$35,000— a great bar- 
gain. He was never 
known to haggle at a 
price, and doubtless some 
of the officers of the cor- 
poration known as the 
Greenwich & Rye Steam- 
boat Co. should have the credit of making the pur- 
chase. 

This corporation was formed early in 1866. Capt. 
Thomas Mayo, M'hose daughters still reside here, was 
elected its president, and Sanford ^Mead, secretary. 
Subsequently Philander Button, then principal of 
the Academy, occupied the position of president. 
The capital stock was $75,000. of which $70,000 was 
paid in., one-half of which went for the purchase of 
the Bomcr. ]Mr. Tweed held 200 shares, par value 
$100, and members of the Americus Club held a suffi- 

[207] 




CAPT. THOMAS .MAYO 

1819-188T 



OTHER DAYS IX caiEEXWlCH 

cieiit iHinibci'. witli Mr. Tweed, to control tlie com- 
pany. Tlic biilancc of the stock was held in small 
lots in Greenwich and Port Chester. 

The boat was decidedly popular, as is evident from 
tile fact that her <>i-oss earnings the first year were 
$•21,7(18.15, expenses $21,417.28, leaving a net bal- 
ance of only $845.87. This small amount was kept 

as a reserve fund to dis- 
appear the following year 
in financial chaos. The 
summer of 1867 was the 
last of the Iioincr in 
these waters. 

In jjassing. I must re- 
call two of her officers — 
Captain Stephen G. 
W^iite and. the pilot, 
l^illy Witherwax. Capt. 
White had had experi- 
ence as a steamboat captain on the Pacific Coast, and 
he made an efficient and p()])ular commander. He 
was a round, jolly man with a merry laugh, the ring 
of which I well remember. His son, Wai-ren P. 
White, is a resident of Cxreenwich. as is also his daugh- 
ter. Mrs. Lucy JNI. Delano. 

l^ilot Witherwax had been commander and ])art 
owner of a sky-sail yard flyer, that had successfully 
rounded Cape Horn so many times that he was worth 
$50, 000 — a snug fortune for those days. He h.ad re- 
tired from the sea wlien jNIr. Tweed met him and he 

[208] 




SANFORD MEAD 



LINWOOD— THE JOHX ROMER 



consented to take a position on the Homer as a favor 
to ^Ir. Tweed. He was a typical sailor. His 
square built form had the power of an ox, while his 
sphinx-like face recalls the former Vice-President 
of the United States, William A. Wheeler. 

To make the boat pop- 
ular, the company re- 
sorted to every legitimate 
means to introduce her 
to the public. With this 
end in view a grand 
Fourth of July excursion 
to Xew Haven, with 
Dodworth's ban.d in at- 
tendance, was announced 
in 1867. The proposed 
trip was the talk of tlie 
tow^i, and when on that 
beautiful summer morn- 
ing, the order was given 
to cast off the lines, the 
boat was loaded with a 
party decidedly miscellaneous in its make-up, but evi- 
dently happy and bent on having a good time. 

As we passed Red Rock, I remember well how 
Capt. White stood forward, chewing an unlighted 
cigar and congratulating everybody on the beauty 
of the morning. But Billy Witlierwax was unusu- 
ally glum and once as I met him aside from the 
crowd, he significantly remarked, "Capt. White likes 

[209] 




8TEPiii:\ (i. wiiriK 

18;,'()-1H81 



OTHER DAYS IX GREENWICH 

tliis weather, but I don't. Look out for a blow when 
the tide turns/' 1 inquired why he thou(>ht so. and 
he rephed, "jNIares' tails to the s'uth'ard!" and diving 
into the pilot house closed the door. 

Everything went well until after we left New 
Haven to return. I had forgotten Pilot Wither- 
wax's remark about the mares' tails, when I suddenly 
became conscious of the fact that the wind was fresh- 
ening and that the sky was becoming overcast. 
I^adies were sending for extra wraps and there was 
a general disposition to seek the seclusion of the 
cabin. Inside, the roll of the vessel became more ]3er- 
ceptible; a general complaint concerning the close- 
ness of the atmosphere was heard and then followed 
a stampede for the deck. The storm had arisen with 
great suddenness, and as the passengers came out, 
many of them were drenched with flying spray. The 
boat rolled terribly, and the noise of the guards strik- 
ing the w^ater as she lay in the trough of the sea 
struck terror to the now thoroughly frightened ex- 
cursionists. T^vo lunch counters and a liberally 
stocked bar had been well patronized all the morn- 
ing. In the tumult of the angry elements there 
seemed to be universal nausea attributable in part to 
the chopj^y sea and in part to the conviviality of the 
forenoon. 

Under the circumstances two hundred and fifty 
people found it necessary to visit the boat's rail and 
as the wind was blowing a gale, broadside on, the sea- 

[210] 



LINWOOD— THE JOHN ROMER 

sick excursionists found the weather rail unsatisfac- 
tory. 

They all, therefore, with one accord sought the lee 
rail and there endeavored to relieve their sufferings. 
As the steamer was three decks high, two-thirds of 
the passengers suffered intensely from their location 
and the only clean hats, coats and honnets were in 
possession of those who occupied the upper deck. No 
sicker, sorrier or more dejected set of human heings 
ever landed in Port Chester than those who. late that 
night, went ashore from the Bomcr. It was deemed 
unsafe to land at Greenwich. 

Many of the present generation have never heard 
of this sea trip hecause those of the older generation 
hate to think of it, and never speak of it. 

There is one other incident in connection with the 
Komcr that I cannot omit. Greenwich has always 
been interested in temperance, if one may judge 
from the societies and legions which have usually ex- 
isted here. In 1866 that famous but erratic man, 
William H. H. ^Murray, was the preacher at the Sec- 
ond Congregational Church. He was a strong ad- 
vocate of temperance. He rejoiced over the new 
steamboat, but when he was told that a bar was to be 
maintained he predicted the failure of the enterprise. 
It was his wish that the boat should be run without 
a bar, and in a quiet way he made every effort to 
have his wish complied with. The stock list showed 
a large number of Congregationalists who doubtless 
would liave been glad to have no bar, but the Tweed 

[211] 



OTIIKK DAYS IX GRP^EXWK II 

.stock controlled and tlie bar was an established fact. 
Sanford ]Mead made eveiy endeavor to keep out the 
l)ar. 

^Ir. Murray, however, was not satisfied. He be- 
lieved that it was his duty to ])reach a<^ainst that bar, 
even if some of the company's directors did occupy 
prominent pews in his cliurch. Accordin^i^ly, the 
sermon was annoimced a week in advance and tlie 
church was crowded. I cannot recall the text, nor 
can I remember much about the sermon. There was, 
however, one exclamation from the preacher that I 
have never forgotten. He alluded to the fact that 
excuses had been made for the existence of the bar 
and th.at one of the officers had informed him that it 
was "out of sight; way down below," Then shaking 
liis black locks from his forehead in that tragic w^ay 
so common to him he added: "And, brethren, so 
is hell, way down below!" P^our years after that 
memorable sermon was delivered, Murray was the 
pastor of the Park Street Church, in Boston., 
and the John R outer was running from Rowe's 
Whai-f in the same city to Hull, Hingham and 
Xantasket. 

As I have said, the Notncr was a boat of "Teat 
speed and no steamer of her size goiug out of the 
port of X^ew York could overhaid her. The Sca- 
rcauhaJxa was a fine boat running to Sea Cliff. She 
was twice the size of the Roincr, with engines of enor- 
mous power for a small boat, and ecjually well 
manned and officered. She represented the wealth of 

[211'] 



LIXWOOD— THE JOHX ROMER 

Roslyn and Sea Cliff and was launched early in 18(36. 
The claim was freely made that her speed would ex- 
ceed that of any other steamer on the Sound. 

The Romcr had always heen a})le to take the lead 
on the run from her herth to Execution Light, and 
it struck Capt. White and Billy AVitherwax rather 
hard to think of giving up their laurels. For a time 
they managed to keep out of the Seawanhaka's way. 
hut finally on the second day of June. 18()7, it was 
apparent to all on })oard that a race was inevitable. 
One of the officers of the Homer gave me this account 
of the affair: 

"We had three-quarters of an hour's start of the 
"Seawanhaka, hut as we approaclied Throgg's Neck 
'we could see her astern, gaining rapidly. Pilot 
'Witherwax was at th.e wheel and Caj)t. White 
'stood aft with a pair of glasses watching the on- 
'coming steamer. Every tw^o or three minutes With- 
'ei"wax would ring for more steam, till at last John 
'Darrah, the engineer, called through the speaking 
'tube that he was doing all he could and that it was 
'useless to keep ringing, as the throttle was wide open 
'and there was no more steam to be had. 'Well, 
'make more steam,' was Witherwax's reply; in re- 
's])onse to which I lieard the engineer groan as 
'though the task imposed upon him was hopeless. 

"It was evident that the pilot intended, if possible, 
'to kee]) the lead until he could reach the narrow 
'channel between Riker's Island and Barrow's Point, 
'for beyond that he thought that once ahead of the 

[213] 



OTHER DAYS IX GREENWICH 

"Seaxcanhalxci he could maintain his position for 
"the hahince of the trip. The intense interest in the 
"pilot house and the engine room amounted to ex- 
"citement among the passengers and many l^ets were 
"made on the result. Some of the Americus Club 
"hoys on the quarter deck became hilarious and the 
"secretary of the Steaml)oat Co., who hai)pened to be 
"aboard, went to tlie bartender and said, 'Now 
"Henry, I wish you would go a little easy with the 
"boys.' 'Why, what do you mean, ^Ir. Meadf said 
"Henry. 'Well, I mean,' was the reply, 'that while 
"this race lasts you must give the boys sarsaparilla 
"when they ask for whisky, and if they call for 
"brandy, make it a point to serve seltzer.' Henry 
"smiled at the idea of thus fooling an Americus Club 
"man but nevertheless he promised to try it. 

"But to return to the race. Pilot Witherwax had 
"calculated correctly, for he succeeded in getting 
"abreast of North Brother Island before the Seazvan- 
''haka began to lap over the Romcr. At this point 
"she was slipping by at the rate of about ten feet a 
"minute, guard to guard, with the Homer so close 
"that conversation was easily carried on between the 
"two vessels. 

"The ])assengers and crews of l)oth boats were now^ 
"in a fever heat of excitement. 

"I think I never saw such a crazy lot as yelled at 
"each other across the span of a dozen feet between 
"the two boats. AVomen shook their parasols in the 
"air and squealed like a flock of geese. 

[211] 



LINWOOD— THE JOHN ROMER 

"Billy Witherwax's face was as stern as an In- 
"dian's. Again he gave the bell for more steam only 
"to be disappointed. Every minute made a decided 
"difference in the relative position of the contending 
"steamers, and it was plain that something more nmst 
"be done, and without delay, or the Homer would be 
"left behind. 

"Witherwax again sought the tube and yelled: 
" 'Give her more fire. If you can't find anything 
"else throw Pat, Donnelly into the furnace. We 
"must have more fire, and I guess he'll burn.' 

"Patrick Donnelly, only recently deceased, then 
"occupied a responsible position on the quarter deck 
"of the Komcr. He knew all about the freight and 
"how it was stowed. He knew exactly where to i)ut 
"his hand on a tub of Abe Acker's lard and when 
"he heard the order repeated by the engineer, rather 
"than be sacrificed himself, he produced the lard. 
"The fireman seized it and flung it on the coals. The 
"steamer leaped ahead like a sailboat in a squall. 
"Black smoke belched from the stack. She walked 
"by the ScatcaiiJiaka as the Filgritn will pass the 
"Sarah Thorp. 

"Witherwax's triumph was complete and he held 
"the Homer on her course in an undisputed lead all 
"the way to Twenty-third Street." 

The Seaxvanhaka never bothered the Romer again, 
but I never pass the "sunken meadows" and see the 
ghostly hog frame of the lost Seawanhaka rising 
amid the swaving drift of sedge grass that I do not 

[215] 



OTHER DAYS IX GREENWICH 

recall the fact that the 2iul June, 1880, when she was 
driven onto those meadows, wreathed m flames, was 
the thirteenth anniversary of her famons race with 
the tJohu liomcr. 



[216] 



T 



CHAPTER XVIII 

THE TWEED FAISIILY 

HE iiienibers of ]Mr. Tweed's family were well 
known about the village. ^Vhile many of the vil- 
lagers treated them with something like an air of awe, 
they mixed in (luite well and those wiio knew them 
liked them. 

The oldest son was William ^i.. Jr. We knew 
hhn as "Billy'' and he was quite intimate with Henry 
^I. FitzGerald and Stephen G. White. 

Billy Tweed was a fine-looking young man in those 
days. He was tall and straigh.t. carried himself 
well, and wore Dundreary whiskers. If a man eould 
raise a good pair of "side-boards." as such whiskers 
were called, he was all right. And this Billy had 
done to perfection. 

It is somewhat singular that William ^NI. Tweed, 
Jr., married a Greenwich girl whom he met in Xew 
York City. Her father and many earlier genera- 
tions were natives of the town and lived at Davis 
Landing. Her father was Silas Davis, who for 
many years was engaged in the flour business in Xew 
York under the firm name of Davis & Benson. He 
had made a large fortune and his daughter had all 
the advantages afforded by wealth. She was then a 
beautiful girl of fine character and she is still a hand- 

[217] 



OTHER DAYS IX (xREEXWICH 

some woman, upon wliom tlic hand of time has rested 
lightly. Her lHisl)an(l (hed ahout 1908. 

The next son was Riehard. He liad a very fast 
hlaek liorse that he (h'ove at top speed from ^la])le 
Avenue to Putnam HilL It was his liahit to do tliis 
nearly every day, till the warden of the Borough put 
a stop to it hy telling Diek that if he wanted to trot 
his horse, he had hetter enter him at Jerome Park. 
Riehard went to Europe in 1879, subsequently mar- 
ried the widow of his brother Charles and shortly 
afterward died in Paris. 

There were two daughters whose names I do not 
reeall. They married two wealthy l)rothers hy the 
name of ^IcGuinness who resided in New Orleans 
and tliere they went to live ahout 1871. I am told 
that one is still living and moves in the best eireles 
of that aristocratic southern city. 

Josephine came next. She was a young lady of 
QTeat beauty, a brunette, and was about eighteen 
years old when her father was at the height of his 
o-lorv. She drove a pair of beautifully matched, 
high-spirited black horses. It was certainly a pleas- 
ure to observe the skill and dignity with which she 
would rein the team up in front of the jjost office for 
the afternoon mail. She married a wealthy Xew 
Yorker by the name of Frederick Douglas and in 
1898 they w^ere living on Staten Island. 

Jemiie was a school girl in 18().5 and was thus well 
known by the school children of that period. Hers 
was a short life, as she died before she was twenty. 

[218] 



THE TWEED FAMIEY 

Charlie was a romping boy in his early teens, with 
a lively pony and without much time for his books. 
School had little attraction for him and at one time he 
had a tutor. Had he lived in these days he would 
have possessed a high power motor car, if not a Hy- 
ing machine. But everybody liked Charlie Tweed 
and all were saddened at the news of his death some 
years after I^inwood was sold. 

George was a baby in 1865. Of him I never had a 
very intimate knowledge, as he died in early youth. 

After Tweed's trou})les began in 1873, the glory 
of I^inwood })egan to wane. The checkerboard team 
was seen no more and many of the other fine horses 
were sold. Money ceased to flow in, and after the 
incarceration in I^udlow Street jail, the demands that 
were made upon Tweed by his lawyers for a defense 
fund were large. John Graham, bewigged and al- 
ways wearing kid gloves with the fingers amj^utated, 
was his chief counsel. Elihu Root, now so w^ell 
known, was at the head of a younger coterie of men 
who worked up tlie details of the defense that did not 
succeed. 

All this re(piired large sums of money and from 
time to time various things were sold at Linwood. 
The greenhouses were stripped of rare plants and 
many articles that had special value because of their 
association, were (juietly disposed of for a substantial 
consideration. When Greenwich Avenue was re- 
cently widened at its lower end, on what was formerly 
the Thomas Ritch property, I saw a couple of ornate 

[219] 



OTHER DAYS IX GREENWICH 



ii'on lani|) posts pulled down tliat formerly stood in 
front of the house at Einwood. There were many 
other things that found their way into the possession 
of Greenwich people who afterwards would some- 
times covertly allude to their origin. 

By this it must not he inferred that the family was 
impoverished. ^Irs. Tweed owned valuahle real es- 
tate here and in Xew 
York City and it was 
probahly only l)ecause of 
a desire to limit expenses 
and prepare for the final 
disposition of Linwood 
that she made such dis- 
position of her })ersou- 
alty. The property was 
listed with many real es- 
tate agencies in Xew 
York City and was 
brought to the attention of many local capitalists, but 
it remained unsold year after year, when the price 
asked for eighty acres was only fifty thousand dollars. 
Finally in the fall of 1878 a syndicate was formed 
consisting of A. Foster Higgins, Solomon Mead, 
Frank Shepard, principal of the Academy, and one 
or two others, whose names I do not recall. To one 
of the syndicate, whose name is not mentioned, was 
entrusted the duty of closing the deal. 

The purpose of the syndicate was to establish a 
residence park, something like Rockefeller Park, al- 

[•.'•JO] 




FRANK SHEPARD 

In 1869 



THE TWEED FA31IEY 

tliouo-h the demand for house lots was not as active 
in those days as it was after tlie puhhe water and 
sewers had heen introduced. It would have made, 
however, an ideal residence park and it was the pioneer 
effort in that direction. The matter dragged along- 
through the winter months of 1878, without any re- 
port to the syndicate, and finally in February, 1879, 
its members awoke to the fact that the land had 
sli])ped away from them and had become the prop- 
erty of Jeremiah Milbank, having sold for $47,o()(). 

When the title was being closed in the old Town 
Clerk's ofhce I asked AVilliam ^I. Tweed, Jr., who 
represented his mother, how it hapi)ened that the 
$50,000 offer was rejected. "No such an offer was 
made," said he. "I would have been glad of $2. .500 
nioi-e, but the offer that came to me fi'om the s\ luh'- 
cate was $40,000 and 1 was told that no better offer 
would be made." Tt was just one of those Httle inci- 
dents, growing out of lack of judgment, probably, 
that often attend real estate transactions and are far- 
reaching in their consequences. 

In 1868 and 1809 ^Nlr. Tweed was in the height of 
his glory. He ruled Xew York with an iron hand and 
yet there must have been times when he realized that 
his political power rested on a thin shell of corruption, 
liable any day to collapse and plunge him into a 
vortex of adverse public sentiment. He loved flat- 
tery and he hated to be criticised. Tom Xast, Har- 
pers' famous cartoonist, had even then sharpened his 
pencil and occasionally Tweed appeared in the 

[221] 



OTHER DAYS IX GKKKXU ICH 

Wccldy witli a hlazino- diamond in liis shirt front, 
lint notliin^- in tliose years appeared tliat seemed 
serions to Tweed. altlion<)-h they greatly annoyed liim. 

As an offset to sneh inflnences. Senator Harry 
Genet and a few of tliat ilk started a general eontri- 
bution to a fnnd for a publie statue to ]Mr. Tweed, to 
be ereeted in Central Park. These men realized what 
many people liave failed to give ^Nlr. Tweed eredit 
for, and that was his remarkable eoneeption of the 
future of the City of X^ew York. He often ex- 
pressed regret that Manliattan Island with its mag- 
nificent water front, should have been laid out in 
angles and scpiares, and it was he who planned the 
Bovdevard and Riverside Drive. 

During this period he east about foi' sustaining 
influences and in the summer of 1808 and 18(>9 he 
invited the children of the city orphan asyhim on 
Randall's Island to visit him at Linwood. They 
were called for short the "Randall's Island children," 
and their coming was announced several days in ad- 
vance. Dodworth's band — Tweed would have noth- 
ing else — came with them on a steamboat chartered 
for tlie occasion. They were marched u]) (Treen- 
M'icl] Avenue and down Putnam Avenue to Linwood, 
with the band in advance and most of the villagers 
looking on with pride at the benevolent act of their 
distinguished neighbor. ^Ir. Tweed in his silk hat 
and frock coat with tlie inevitable white tie, stood 
out on the lawn in front of tlie house and reviewed 
his vouthful guests; on one occasion addressing them 

[222] 



THE TWEED FAMILY 

as the future voters of the great metropohs. After 
this ceremony they disbanded, with evident rehef, 
and were turned loose on the Linwood grounds, to the 
great disgust of Theodore H. ^Nlead, whose apple 
orchard adjoined and suffered accordingly. 

Perhaps it was the same spirit of assumed benevo- 
lence that caused him to donate to one of the village 
churches a sandstone baptistry around the base of 
which was inscribed, with letters deeply cut, the 
words, "The gift of William ]M. Tweed, 1869." It 
still remains within the church, although it has lost 
its former place of prominence. 

During this period lie was also recognized as gen- 
erous to the bearer of a subscription paper and the 
object mattered not; black or white, Catholic or 
Protestant, all were received with a benign smile and 
a ready response. 

On one occasion the good ladies of a certain re- 
ligious organization called upon him with the request 
for a subscription for an organ. Before approach- 
ing him, however, they had gathered up all the sub- 
scriptions possible, but had found rather hard sled- 
ding, with the result that the pledges were only half 
sufficient. 

Taking the subscription paper, he footed up the 
various small amounts, with the stub of a pencil he 
had taken from his vest pocket, and looking over his 
gold-rimmed glasses at the somewhat awed commit- 
tee, he said, "Well, what is the damn thing going to 
cost, anyway?" 

[223] 



OTHER DAYS IX (xREEXWICH 

The ladies were shocked at the expression, but a 
quickly drawn check for the l)alance re(juired, served 
as a relief for their feelings, and they left express- 
ing many thanks and a world of good wishes. 



[224] 



CHAPTER XIX 

THE ESCAPE OF AVIIJJAINI :M. TWEED 

IN Chapter XV allusion lias been made to the escape 
of Tweed from jail and his suhsecjuent apprehen- 
sion and arrest in Vii>'o, Spain. One of his own ap- 
pointees in the Sheriff's office took him out for a ride; 
he stopped to make a call at his own home in the city, 
and he never appeared again until several months 
had elapsed. ]Many accounts have been given of his 
escape and of his place of hiding before he embarked 
for S])ain. but all of them are very far from the 
truth. 

Before I relate the actual story of his esca])e, let me 
recall certain facts, within tlie memory of many 
Greenwich people, which are closely connected with 
that event. 

On the ninth day of June, 1870, one Isaac ^Nlosher 
sold twenty-four acres of land and a farm house 
northwest of Cos Cob village to Lydia G. ]McjMullen, 
the wife of William jNIc^Iullen. The price paid was 
$12,300 and the transaction was closed in the office 
of Col. Heusted W. R. Hoyt, counsel for jNIr. Tweed. 
The latter was present on the occasion and subse- 
(pientlv he gave a great deal of attention to the im- 
provements made to the property. This place is lo- 

[22o] 



OTHER DAYS IX GREENWICH 

catc'd oil tile easterly side of tlie liiLiliwav ruiuiiii<»" 
northerly froiii the l^ost Road near the residenee of 
Augustus and Catherine ^lead whieh was then known 
as the Edward Mead homestead. The house is still 
standing, but since the days of Tweed has been much 
enlarged and more recently has been known as the 
Ardendale Sanitarium. He introduced ^Irs. ^Ic- 
Mullen as his niece and it was understood that she 
and her husl)and were, to a certain extent, dependent 
upon him. 

Andrew J. Garvey, a memlier of the Americas 
Club, an.d generally known, from his numerous con- 
tracts, as the city plasterer, paid all the repair bills 
on the ^Ic^NIullen house. Garvey usually left the 
train at Cos Cob carrying a carpetbag filled with 
greenbacks with which to pay the mechanics and ma- 
terial men employed on the job. Subsequently in 
one of the ring prosecutions in the New York Su- 
preme Court, the fact appeared that, at least the 
plastering, if not all of the repair work on the ^Ic- 
Mullen house, was charged to the city. 

At that period the Cos Co!) station agent was a 
young man who has since been a prominent resident 
and officeholder in the Borough. He had consider- 
able to do with handling the freight and express pack- 
ages for the ^JcMullen house, to his ])ecuniary ad- 
vantage, and after the family moved in, he continued 
to l)e a arcat favorite with them because of his uiii- 
versal courtesy and ])romptness. 

On his home trip from the Duaiie Street office in 

[•22(>] 



ESCAPE OF WILLIA^NI M. TWEED 

New York, ]Mr. Tweed usually left the train at 
Greenwich, but, as he held in high esteem his nephew 
and niece, it is not strange that occasionally he was 
invited to pass the night with them at Cos Cob. 

The young station agent began to notice that the 
9.15 evening train at Cos Cob would fre(j[uently stop 
a thousand feet west of the station, down by Edward 
^lead's bars, and then crawl up to the station. In 
the glare of the headlight it was hard to determine 
^vhy the pause was made, as down the length of the 
train was impenetrable darkness. Frank Hermance 
was the conductor of the train. He was one of the 
old-fashioned conductoi's, who carried a lantern with 
his name ground on the glass globe and a rose in his 
buttonhole. AVhen he entered the door he came with 
a bound and a smile and many will recall how he 
purred the words, "Good morning, brother," as he 
punched the tickets. 

It was the duty of the station agent to report such 
an irregularity as halting a train down by Edward 
Mead's bars and especially when the occurrence was 
fre(juent. Finally he told ]Mr. Hermance that he 
would be obliged to report him if it occurred again, 
but Frank only smiled and gave the station aoent a 
friendh" salute as he started his train. 

About this time Tweed was indicted ])y the Grand 
Jury of Xew York County, locked up in the Tombs 
and upon the trial before Judge Xoah Davis and a 
jury was convicted. Judge Davis had never been 
a friend of Tweed's and on the opening day of the 

[227] 



OTHER DAYS IX GREENWICH 

trial, Jolui Cirahani, his leading counsel, very humbly 
suggested that His Honor "was disciualitied," for 
which insinuation 31r. Graham was promptly fined 
$250. Rut the charge to the jury was fair and the 
only criticism counsel for the defense made was "the 
remarkable sentence imposed by the Court." 

He was convicted on fifty out of fifty-five charges 
against hiiu and sentenced l)y Judge Davis to an 
aggregate of twelve years imprisonment. He might 
have been sentenced for sixty years, but Judge Davis 
decided that he would give him a sentence i)roportion- 
ate to his average share in the stealings; that is that he 
would give him twenty })er cent, of what he might 
have imjjosed u])on him. 

Then the (juestion was generally discussed as to 
whether a cumulative sentence, as it was called, was 
legal, (xraham appealed to the (xeneral Term, now 
called the Appellate Division, and was defeated, but 
afterwards the Court of Appeals held tliat Tweed 
could not })egin to serve a new sentence of a year at 
the end of a term of service of punishment upon an- 
other count. 

Meanwhile Tweed went to Rlackwell's Island and 
began to serve his sentence, occupying a dou})le 
room luxuriously furnished, near the northeast end 
of the penitentiary building. In going down the 
East River, on the Rrooklyn side you may still see 
in the gi'im walls of the great building a double win- 
dow, the only one, which was made expressly to add 
to the comfort of ^Ir. Tweed in his davs of imprison- 

[228] 



ESCAPE OF WILLIAM ^l. TWEED 

meiit, when he was being attended by the officers wlio 
owed tlieir appointment to their prisoner. 

Upon the reversal of the judgment by the Court 
of Appeals ]Mr, Tweed was re-arrested and held in 
I.-udlow Street jail under the civil suit brought by the 
city for six million dollars damages and it was from 
this place that one night he made his escape. 

It is unnecessary here to go into the particulars 
of that escape further than as they are connected 
with and apply to the town of Greenwich. Tweed 
had disappeared and there was no clew to his where- 
abouts. Andrew H. Green, Charles O'Conor, 
Joseph H. Choate and the others of the famous Com- 
mittee of Seventy offered a reward of fifty thousand 
dollars for his apprehension. If yon will read the 
newspapers of those days you will notice that from 
the time of his departure till he was reported in Vigo, 
Spain, there is no positive account of his whereabouts. 
There were at least two men, however, who might 
have made the story clear. One was the young sta- 
tion agent at Cos Cob and the other was George W. 
Hoffman. 

It was in the early winter of 187o that the Cos 
Cob agent, who had just laid aside an evening paper 
telling of tlie escape of Tweed and advertising the 
fifty-thousand dollar reward notice, that the 9.1.5 
train again made its mysterious stop at Edward 
JNIead's bars. The agent was angry. The conduc- 
tor had disregarded his threat to report him, and was 
again disobeving the rules. Seizing a lantern he ran 

[229] 



OTIIKH 1)A^ S IX GREENWICH 



,>^j> 



down the track. As he jja.ssed hevoiul the ^iare of 
the lieadliiJ'lit and reached the l)a<>'ga_i>e car. he saw 
the side dooi- sHde ()i)en. At that inoment a woman 
I'l-oni hehind smashed his lantern. Bewildered in the 
sndden darkness, he stepped forward and put his 
hand on the <>reat hulk of William ^I. Tweed. There 
was a man with him and a woman followed, leaping 

across the ditch ])eside 
the track, and uj) the 
hank through Edward 
^Mead's hars. There a 
carriage was in waiting 
and George W. Hoff- 
man was on the hox. 

Who was Hoffman? 
He was not a memher of 
the Aiiiericus C'luh and I 
could never get any defi- 
nite information as to 
who he was, except that Philip X. Jackson, the son 
of an Americus Cluh man, said he was one of Tweed's 
men. Jackson was a messenger in the X"ew York Su- 
preme Court ])y Tweed's appointment and in the late 
seventies and early eighties was the trial justice in 
Greenwich. 

After Tweed's death Hoff'man came to Green- 
wich to reside. He apparently had considerahle 
money and lie jjurchased of James Elphick a large 
area of oyster ground. A long and serious litigation 
then followed between El])hick and Hoff'man over 

[230] 




JAMES ELPURK 

18:?4— 1889 



ESCAPE OF WILLIAM M. TWEED 

the contracts for the purchase of this oyster ground, 
and the case finally termmated in the Court of Errors 
in favor of ]Mr. Elphick and is reported in the 49th 
volume of Connecticut Reports. 

While this litigation was in progress, I saw much 
of Hoffman and on more than one occasion he ad- 
mitted that Tweed came up on the 9.15 on the night 
in (juestion, occupying the baggage car. Hoffman 
never told how he got Tweed into the car at 42nd 
Street, but at that time there was ample opportunity 
to walk, unseen, down what had once lieen Fourth 
Avenue, on the south side of the train and slip into 
the baggage car. 

From Cos Cob the carriage, with Tweed in it, was 
driven to the JMcjMullen house, where his last meal 
in Greenwich was eaten. Thence he was driven across 
to Tarrytown where a tug chartered by Hoffman 
was waiting. This tug took ]Mr. Tweed down, to the 
lower ])ay and to an outgoing freight steamer l)ound 
for Cuba. 

In the port of Havana under the beetling walls 
of INIoro Castle Tweed was transferred to another 
steamer bound for Spain and was subsequently cap- 
tured at Vigo and sent back to Ludlow Street jail 
where he died April 12, 1878. at the age of fifty-five. 

Often I have tliought of that $50,000 reward that 
the young station agent made no attempt to earn. 
How easy it would have been to telegraph the authori- 
ties who had offered the reward, and to have caught 
Tweed that night as liis last dinner in the jNIc^MuUen 

[231] 



OTHER DAYS IX GREENWICH 

house was being served. The agent knew exactly 
where he was. He was poor then, hut uow he is 
worth more than twice the amount of tliat reward. 
Once I asked him about it. He took from his lips 
an expensive cigar and contemplated reflectively its 
long, unbroken ash. Then he looked at me and said, 
"I thought of it, but how could I?" 



[23-2] 



CHAPTER XX 

THE OLD TOWN HALL 

THE old Town Hall which stood where the Sol- 
diers' ^lonuiiieiit now stands, was burned the 
niffht of October 15, 1874. This building had been 
used many years for public meetings, theatrical 
shows, church fairs, elections, and as a court room 
for the trial Justice of the Peace. 

It was a single room, lighted by eight windows, 
containing a portable bench for the court and an 
enclosure for the lawyers, which usually stood on the 
east side of the room. The Selectmen and other town 
officials had their offices m a small frame building, on 
Greenwich Avenue, which stood where the brick 
building of Tuthill Brothers now stands. At a later 
date the officials occupied rooms in the old Congre- 
gational Church building after it was removed to the 
corner of Putnam Avenue and Sherwood Place. 

At the time of the fire it had outlived its useful- 
ness. As early as 1873 the question of a new town 
hall was seriously considered. At the annual meet- 
ing in that year, Luke A. Lockwood, Drake ]Mead, 
William J. ^lead, Odle C. Knapp and Thomas A. 
]Mead were appointed to inquire into the expediency 
of erecting a new building. This committee was also 

[233] 



OTHER DAYS IX (iHEEXWTCH 

charged with the (hity of recommending tlie k^cation, 
the size, architectural character and internal arrange- 
ment of sucli a huilding, and the estimated cost. 
The following year the committee was continued, 




TOWN HALL 

Drawn from (li-scription by Carlctiin W. Hubbard 

having re})orted progress. A set of plans had been 
prepared for a huilding which was to he erected on 
the northeast corner of Putnam Avenue and Sher- 
wood PLice, then considered the business center. 
These plans were afterwards framed and for many 
years hung on the wall of the Town Clerk's office. 

INIr. George Jackson Smith, the Town Clerk at 
that time, had a habit of boastin.g of his expensive 

[234] 



THE OLD TOWX HALL 



wall decoration, for the picture cost tlie town twelve 
hundred dollars. 

It would seem, however, that many were interested 
in the subject and desirous of carrying out the ])lans, 
because in 187-t the Selectmen were authorized to ap- 
ply to the General Assembly for authority to bon.d 
the town for $75,000, for the purpose of building a 
new town hall. A spe- 
cial town meeting was 
called November 28, 
1878, and the Town Hall 
C o m m i 1 1 e e was in- 
structed to present ])lans 
and make report to a 
"special meeting here- 
after to be called to con- 
sider the whole subject 
of a new Town Hall." 
While the new Town Hall was being discussed, the 
officials moved into Aaron P. Ferris' new building, 
which had been erected for a hotel and is the building 
now owned by the town and occupied by Mayer H. 
Cohen. 

The town paid an annual rent of $000. The Se- 
lectmen occupied the south side and the Town Clerk 
and Judge of Probate the north side, first floor. The 
second and third floors were occupied as tenements 
until the first of July, 1875, when the second floor 
was converted into pu])lic offices. ^Nlyron L. ^Mason, 

[235] 




GEOllGE J. S.MITH 

18M.-1S77 



OTIIKK DAYS IX (iHKKXWKH 

Kdward .1. Wright. Charles Camcroii. Lcaiukr V. 
Jones, M.I).. Dr. Beverly K. .Mead, R. Jay Walsh, 
James V. Walsh. Fi'ederiek A. Iluhhai'd and pos- 
sihlv othei's ()eeu])ied ofHees on the seeoiul tlooi' of this 
hiiihlijin'. 




TOWN IlAl.l. IN ls7h 

Jolin H. K;i\' iiiul .lolin K. Ray stand in tin- forciii'oiiiHl iiiulcr the 

tree ])lant<'(l by iMlward .(. Wriiilit 

It was erowded, uncomfortahle and l)a(lly ar- 
ranged for sueh ])nr])oses and yet for years it was 
the only plaee for an office because it was the actnal 
business center. The Assessors, Eoard of Relief 
and Tax Collector all found places wherever they 
could, unless actually excluded by a justice trial, held 
in th.e Selectmen's ofHce. 

[2:}(>] 



THE OLD TOWN HALL 

But the scht^nie to build a new town hall was for- 
gotten and we might still he using the Aaron P. Fer- 
ris huilding, hut for the lil^erality of the late Robert 
]M. Bruce who, with his sister, JNIiss Sarah Bruce, 
donated the new buildino. 




ROBERT M. BRUCE 

Philanthro])ist 
Besides many other benevolent gifts, donated to Greenwich its Town 
Hall, Pui)lic Park and Hospital 

On May 15, 1875, Mr. Ferris made a written prop- 
osition to sell his building to the town. He described 
the property as 50 feet wide and 254 feet deep and 
the price named was $11,500, to be paid in a series of 
notes, drawing interest at the rate of seven per cent., 
payable over a term of ten years. The proposition 

[237] 



OTHER DAYS IN GREENWICH 

was accepted at a special toAvii meeting and tlie town 
took title and still owns the property; the front half 
of whicli yields a rental of a})out twelve hundred dol- 
lars a year and reser^'es shed room in the rear. 

At the time tlie town took title we had no public 
water, sewers or lights. The water supply for the 
toA\'n building was a large well, which was tilled up 
in 1890. Rut the occupants of the building realized 
its unsanitary condition and at tlie annual town meet- 
ing in 1878 the Town Clerk and the Judge of Pro- 
bate were appointed a committee "whose duty it shall 
be, at an expense not exceeding $300, to make needed 
re])airs and improvements in and about the rear of 
the town buildin.g, for the purpose of proper use and 
protection of the well; to effect safe and convenient 
exit from the rear doors of the building; to build a 
cistern for the use of the tenants and as a provision 
against fire." At the same meeting it was voted to 
build a lockup and it is still standing as a storage 
room in the rear of Cohen's store. 

Rut for seventeen years matters went on in this 
May without a ripple until September 9, 1895, when 
an attempt was made to purchase the land adjoining 
on the south owned by JNIary F. Dayton and now 
occupied by Elias S. Peck. It was thought that the 
lot enlarged to a width of 100 feet would warrant the 
town in tearing down the old building and erect- 
in"' a new town hall about fifty feet back from the 
street, with light on all sides. Rut the proposition 
was voted down and we struggled on under the old 

[-.'38] 



THE OLD TOWN HALL 

conditions until January 1, 1906, when the new town 
hall was occupied. 

Both of these old town huildings are of peculiar 
interest. The first one was probably built about 
1830 and represented a building typical of the rural, 
farming people. Tlie illustration which is given is 
made from a description of tlie building, there being 
no photograph of it in existence. But the drawing 
so accurately illustrates the old building that those 
of the older generation will at once recognize it. 
During all those fervid times before and during the 
war of 1861 it was used as a polling place, as indeed 
it was ujj to the time of its destruction. But in the 
war time it was the place of many an angry debate 
and many incidents occurred which are still talked 
about. 

Two very estimable and prominent neighbors once 
got into a hot political dispute on an election day. 
One resisted the entrance of the other, through the 
door, with the result that one of the doors was pulled 
off the hinges and the two contestants with the door 
rolled down the hill. 

From 18o-l till long after the war the Borough 
meetings were held in the old town hall, but the Bur- 
gesses met at private houses and usually at the home 
of the Clerk. 

I first knew of Borough meetings in 1860. Billy 
Trumble, a quaint little old man. was the town jani- 
tor. For a number of years he had been man of all 
work for the Rev. Dr. Joel H. Linsley, and. holding 

[239] 



OTIIEll DxVYS IX GREENWICH 

such a ])ost. he fancied lie knew all the affairs of the 
parish. 

The ohl man had (juite an attraction for nie and 
his sterlin<^" chai'acter and odd sayings made their im- 
pression. It was his duty to open and light the hall 
for the annual meetings of the Borough. 

After he had arranged the henches and dusted the 
chairs, he would take his seat and with the immense 
brass door key across his lap await tlie coming of the 
Warden. 

On such occasions I enjoyed sitting by his side and 
listening to the (|ueer stories of what he claimed to 
have seen and heard around the old white church, 
then standing in front of the present stone edifice. 
I was only a small boy, but 1 realize how the old man 
enjoyed impressing upon my youthful fancy his visits 
at night to the pulpit an.d the pews, where he routed 
out the hats that were circling around in the moon- 
light. 

In those days the workmen were busy on the new 
church and piles of rubbish and blocks of cut stone 
occupied every possible place about the town hall. 
The cellar had also been invaded by the stonecut- 
ters and it was a weird place at night after they had 
abandoned it to the darkness and the bats. One of 
Billy's duties was to gather uj) the chisels and ham- 
mers which tlie workmen had carelessly left, and as 
his "chores" at th-e parsonage, as he called his small 
errands about the place, often kept him till his lan- 
tern was needed, it was my great delight to go with 

[240] 



THE OLD TOWN HALL 



him on such nocturnal trips, poking ahout among the 
cliips for the stray tools. 

But nothing was more agreeahle to Billy than the 
occasion of the annual Borough meeting. I think he 
felt ([uite as important as the Warden and he was 
certainly better paid, as 
that official drew no sal- 
ary. 

After the arrival of the 
Warden the next man to 
appear was Kol)ert W. 
INIead, the clerk. These 
officials w(Hdd talk a few 
minutes, but no one else 
appearing, the Warden 
would step over to the 
parsonage, while the 
clerk would hurry up to 
Solomon ^Mead's and 
Charles H. Seaman's, 
and Billy, while I tagged 
at his heels, woidd be sent 
down to invite Henry M. 
Benedict, L. P. Hubbard, Joseph E. Brush and 
George Sellick up to vote. 

It was invariably the case in those days that a suf- 
ficient number of voters to fill the offices would not 
attend the meetings except upon personal solicitation, 
and Billy and I did most of the roping in. 3Iy part 
was to carry the lantern. He had an odd hut very 

[241] 




A.MOS .M. IJUL'SIl 

III lS(i() 

1 8:35-1 905 



OTHER DAYS IX GREENWICH 

])()litc' way of touching his hat and saying, "Please, 
sir, there are only four at the meeting and it takes 
eight to fill the offices. Won't you come up and vote 
for somebody, and somebody will vote for you?" 

Such an aj^peal was irresistible and we elected the 
full Board. I can remember no other moderator in 
that building on election days except Amos ]M. Brush. 

In those times there was not such a system of regis- 
tration and such a poll list as are now employed. 
Of coiu'se, the Town Clerk's record showed who were 
voters and when they became voters. Both political 
parties were represented at the polls and there was 
always a record of the number of votes deposited. 

jNIr. Brush, the moderator, stood behind the ballot 
box and as the voter deposited his ballot ^Nlr. Brush 
would poke it down among the others wath his lead 
pencil. On one occasion a voter, whose political be- 
lief was opposed to that of the moderator, charged 
the latter witli not depositing his ballot in the box. 
"Stop the voting," said ]Mr. Brush, "unlock the box 
and count the l)allots," which was (juickly done, and 
the disgruntled voter was satisfied that his ballot was 
among the others and not upon the floor, as he had 
charged. 

In the old days when the towni building on Green- 
wich Avenue was filled with tenants, a local w^it 
dubbed it "Lincoln's Inn," and a young man who 
then resided here but ^\'ho subsecpiently became a 
grave and learned professor in a great American Uni- 
versity wrote the following lines which were pub- 

[24.2] 



THE OLD TOWN HALL 

lished ill the Stamford Herald. The first and last 
verses only are qnoted: 

Oh, I wish I lived in Lincohi's Inn 
Where the signs are made of gilt and tin; 
^^"ith my feet in a chair I'd sit and grin. 
It's the way they do in Lincoln's Iini. 

Then at night when the darkness is complete, 
When the faithful watchman treads his beat, 
And his boots resound in the silent street. 
Full many a spectre, weird, he sees, 
The ghosts of departed lawyers' fees 
And spirits pale of all degrees, 
Who perch in the dark; on the signs of tin — 
Oh, a rare old place is IJncoln's Inn. 



[243] 



CHArTKK XXI 

THE I>EWIS AND :\rAS()X rA:\ni,iEs 

LEWIS and ^Masoii Streets are named after two 
prominent old-time families. One of the most 
interesting spots in the Borongh, rife as it is with 
historic memories, is the northeast corner of Pntnam 
Avenne and Lafayette Place, where the Rev. Dr. 
I^ewis lived, and whicli was subsequently owned by 
his daughter, Mrs. ^lary Ei. ^Nlason, and his grand- 
son, Theodore I^. ^Nlason. ]M.D. 

Before the war of the Revolution this corner and 
many acres besides belonged to Henry INIead. He 
was the landlord of a Colonial ta\ ern wliicli stood 
near the jimction of tlie main country road and the 
road to Slierwood's Bridge, now (xlenville. Here he 
entertained, in such style as the times permitted. Gen. 
Putnam, Gen. Lafayette and other Revolutionary 
notables. 

Times were hard in (Treenwich after the close of 
the war and Henry Mead struggled along for a few 
years and then moved with his family to New York 
City. As far as is known, none of them returned. 

He sold the old homestead or tavern in 17S7 for 
three hundred and twenty pounds. The land, 
bounded northerly by the highway and what is now 
the IjCUOX House property and westerly by tlie road 

[244] 



THE LEWIS AND MASOX FAMILIES 

to Piping Point, now Greenwich Avenue, was pur- 
chased from Amos JNIead and Henry 3Iead, respec- 
tively. 

I^ewis Street divides the southerly tract and was 
very appropriately named after Dr. Lewis. 

He was a man of note throughout Xew England. 
He was graduated from Yale College in the class of 
17(y5, and entered the ministrv of the Congreoational 
Church. His long and lahorious professional life 
was largely passed in the pastorate of the Second 
Congregational Society in tliis town, wliich position 
he assumed in 178(5 and occupied for thirty-three 
years. In 1792 Vale College conferred on liim the 
degree of Doctor of Divinity, and from 1816 to 1818 
he was a member of the Corporation, and in 1816 was 
made a Fellow of tlic College. I'pon accpiiring the 
property lie at once proceeded to remove the Henry 
INIead house, and as the churcli then had no ])arson- 
age, he built a fine Colonial mansion a])out seventy- 
five feet back from the corner. 

The okl fig tree, still there, was planted by him and 
it grew very near the south end of tlie house. It was 
a beautiful house in all its proportions and in the 
look of hospitality which always pervaded it. It was 
built in the summer of 1786, but was not an old-fash- 
ioned sweep-back, because the Colonies had become in- 
dependent, and the necessity for a one-story house, 
which is said to have been exempt from taxation by 
the Crown, no longer existed. 

I have had many interesting conversations with the 

[245] 



OTIIKK 1)A^S I\ (iKKKWVK ir 

late Col. 'I'lioiiias A. Mead, Solomon S. Mead. D. 
Smith Mead and Isaae I.. Mead eoneernini> this old 
mansion. There was no confliet am()n<>' them as to 
the loeation and appearance of the house. As the fig 
tree _<>rew near the south end. it is easy to locate it. 
The house I'aeed the west, and from the front door, 
over which was an old-time porch with a graceful 
trellis, a walk hetwecn rows of hox-wood lead to La- 
fayette Place. 

It was considered a gi'and house and its owner was 
looked u]) to hy old and young as a wise and good 
man. It was his home foi' thirty-three years, and 
during that period it was the center of social and re- 
ligious activities. "He was kind and affectionate in 
his social relations, and for ])iety and learning emi- 
nently distinguished," according to his e])itaph. It 
is easy to believe he wielded a powerful influence for 
a'ood in the communitv. 

Dr. Lewis died August 27, 1840. at the age of 
ninety-five, leaving six children and a considerable es- 
tate. 

Here, also, on November 2(), 1821. died, at the 
early age of twenty-four, ^liss Elizabeth Stillson of 
Bethlehem. Conn,, a membei- of the family of Dr. 
Lewis, for whom the Stillson Benevolent Society of 
the Second Congregational Church was named. 

The children who siu'vived Dr. Lewis were Zach- 
ariah; Isaac, who succeeded his father as pastor of the 
church; Mrs. Piatt Buff'ett of Stanwich: Mrs. Mary 
E. Mason, widow of David Mason; Koswell \V.. and 

[246] 



THE LEWIS AND MASON FAMILIES 

Sarah. ]Mrs. Hannah Lewis, the mother of these 
children, died in Aj)ril, 1829. 

On the 10th of December, 1846, all the Lewis prop- 
erty was conveyed to ^lary E. ^lason and Sarah 
Lewis, and until 1850 they were inmates of tlie old 
mansion. Later they moved to the new house wliich 
was built in that year and is still standing-. ]Mary E. 
JNIason was the mother of 
Dr. Theodore L. ^lason, 
for whom JNIason Street, 
opened in 1881, was ap- 
propriately named. 

Miss Sarah Lewis was 
very active in the chui'ch 
that for so many years 
had been under the ])as- 
torate of her father and 

l)rother. She organized miss sarah i.rwis 

the Sunday School, and it84-i8(30 

was its first superintendent. Her portrait hangs 
upon the wall in the Sunday School room. 

In 1801 David JNIason, Esq., married ]Mary Eliza- 
beth I^ewis, daughter of the Rev. Dr. Lewis, at the 
old homestead. He was a lawyer of ability and as 
an advocate had special influence. He was engaged 
in practice in Cooperstown, N. Y., Avith JNIr. William 
Cooper, an elder brother of James Fenimore Cooper. 

His cousin was Jeremiah Mason of Boston, who in 
his day often crossed swords with Daniel Webster in 
the courts of JNIassachusetts and New Hampshire. 

[247] 




OTHER DAYS IX CxREEXWICH 



David Mason was tlie f'atlier of three ehiklren. of 
wlioni Tlieodore L. Mason was the eldest. At his 
death his widow and ehihh'en removed to Dr. Lewis' 
residenee in Greenwich, where Theodore's youth and 
early nianliood were spent. I'^nder the (hreetion of 
^ai'ious teachers, and notahly in the ])rivate school of 
liis uncle, tlie Rev. Piatt HuftVtt of Stanwich. he re- 
ceived a thorouyh trainino- iu En<>lish and the 

classics. Later he he- 
came a medical student 
under the direction of Dr. 
Darius ^lead. who lived 
on the top of Putnam 
Hill where Edwin H. 
Raker's h o u s e n o w 
stands. Dr. ]Mead gave 
the youny" men M'ho 
studied under him clinical 
instruction at the hedside 
of the sick, as well as in- 
struction in the proper text hooks. 

Suhsequently young Dr. Mason was graduated 
from the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New 
York and practiced a few months in Greenwich. 
He then went to AVilton, Conn., and later to Xew 
Y^ork City, removing from there to Brooklyn, X"^. Y^., 
in 1834, where he remained in the active ])ractice of 
his profession until his death Fehruary 12, 1882. 
He frequently visited Greenwich and during his life 

[248] 




1)K. DARIIS MEAD 
In 18(iO 



THE LEWIS AND .AIASON FAMILIES 

was well known in tliis town. After his death the 
land on both sides of ^Nlason and Lewis Streets as 
well as that alono- Greenwich Avenue was sold. 



[249] 



CPTAPTER XXII 

THE OLD BLACK WALXLTT TKEE 

TlIK great black walnut tree that stands on ]Mrs. 
George E. Nichols' front lawn on jMaple 
Avenue is said to ])e the largest in the State. It is 
certainly a very old tree and was a seedling long be- 
fore the Revolution. It must have been planted very 
early in the eighteenth century and it is not improb- 
able that the Rev. Abraliam Todd, a minister who 
served the Second Congregational Church for forty 
years, ])lante(l it with his own hands. At that time 
and until 18.*}.'J the church owned no ])arsonage, but 
in addition to his salary the minister was given the 
use of the "parsonage lands." 

31r. Todd was graduated from Yale in 17*27 and 
came to Greenwich five years later. For those days 
his salary was princely. He received a "settlement" 
of one thousand dollars, the use of the ])arsonage 
lands and five hundred dollars ])er annuuL besides 
firewood, and after three years an additional one 
himdred and fifty dollars ])er annum. 

As I\Ir. Todd on the 29th of ^Nlay, 173.*3, purchased 
for eleven hundred dollars twelve acres of land of 
Theophilus I'eck, with his homestead, we may as- 
sume that the "settlement" money above referred to 

[250] 



THE OLD BLACK WALNUT TREE 

was tliiis invested and here was established the par- 
sonage. 

These twelve acres were identical witli the land 
now extending from Patterson Avenue south to 
property of Edward Brush and ^vest beyond ^Laher 




S.XCKETT HOMESTEAD 
Built 1770. Siihsequcntlv the homes of Jaini's W. Doininic-k and .John 
Sniflfen. Remodeled 18j(). The old tree does not a])))ear in the 
photogra})h 

Avenue. In this tract stood for many years the 
John Snithn house. When jNIr. Todd bought the 
land it Avas bounded on the east ])y North Street, 
the name by which jNIaple Avenue was known until 
long after the adoption of a Borough government in 
1854. 

The house occupied by ]Mr. Todd until his death 

[251] 



OTIIKR DAYS IX GREENWICH 

ill 177'J stood well \r.ivk fVoiii tlic road, in what was 
subsequently called the old oi'ehai-d. Mi'. Alvan 
Mead, who died at an achaneed age in 18S1. was able 
to locate the honse hy tradition and to descrilie it as 
an old-fashioned sweep-back, facing the south. 

Mr. Todd left seven children. Five yeai's after 
his death they sold, for twenty-three hundred and 
fifty dollars, the place occupied by the family for more 
than forty years. Xehemiah ^Nlead, Jr., was the 
purcbaser and it may not l]e uninteresting to copy the 
description of the property as it appears in his deed. 
He purchased from the Todd heirs "Fourteen acres, 
"be it more or less, with a dwelling house and barn 
"thereon, northward of the Country road (meaning 
"what is now I'ntnam Avenue) it being that house 
"and land whereon oui' honored father, Kev. Abra- 
"ham Todd, deceased, lately lived. Bounded East- 
"erly by North Street, Northerly by land of 
"Humphrey Denton, Westerly by land of Justus 
"Sackett in part and partly by land of Isaac Holmes, 
"Jr., and Southerly by land of Justus Sackett." 

^Ir. ]Mead held it for only nine months when, on 
Decemlier 4, 1778. he sold it for one povmd more than 
he paid to Justus Sackett. 

It was ^Ir. Sackett who built the original John 
Sniffin homestead under the shade of the old black 
walnnt tree and it was probably built immediately 
after he came into possession., in the Summer of 1770. 
Here he lived until January 1.5, 1827. when he died 
at the age of eightv-seven vears. 

[25i] 



THE OLD BLACK WALNUT TREE 

In passing it may not be amiss to quote from ISir. 
Sackett's will in which he speaks of the "Todd lots," 
referring to the location near the old orchard, the 
former home of Rev. Abraham Todd. This spot is 
not far from the place occupied by the recently re- 
moved and remodeled "Sniff en homestead" on Pat- 
terson Avenue belonging to William H. Hoggson. 
To his son he gives his black boy "Charles" and the 
ancestral tall clock, showing that slavery was extant 
in Connecticut as late as 1815, when the will was 
dated, and that tlie tall clock was then valued more 
than by later generations. 

Anna Sackett, the widow, continued to reside in 
the homestead in the enjoyment of her dower until 
February 15, 1837, when she died at the age of ninety- 
six years. Justus Sackett, Jr.. was the next owner 
of the pro])erty. He appears to have been some- 
what of a trader in real estate, for in 1832 he ac(iuired 
contiguous property extending north and west as far 
as Sanford ^lead's and south to Augustus Lyon's, 
later known as the Perry land and now belonging to 
William G. and Percy A. Rockefeller. He did not 
hesitate to l)orrow money and give mortgages, a 
somewhat unusual proceeding in those days. But on 
^Nlarch 19, 184G, he seems to have been willing to 
abdicate in favor of his son, William H. Sackett, to 
whom he gave a deed of more than fifty acres, re- 
serving to himself a life estate. 

William H. Sackett continued to reside in the old 
homestead under the famous tree until 1851 when 

[253] 



OTIIKU DAVS IX (;kekxwtctt 

lie sold the property to Justus Ralph Sackett. who 
held it until Octoher 1. 18.52, when he sold and 
eonveyed it to James W. Dominick. And now 
we get down to tlie memory of many Greenwich 
people. 

James W. Dominiek and his hrother. William, who 
resided on Putnam Avenue in the house now owned 
by Mrs. Susan C. Talbot, were two of the early 
Greenwich commuters. They each possessed a fam- 
ily of likely boys, wlio have sustained their early 
reputations and are now men. well known in financial 
circles being honored aiul respected by all. George 
F. Dominick and his son of the same name are both 
residents, ])ut James W. Dominick \s sons have never 
lived here. 

"Sir. James W. Dominick was rated a rich man and 
he belonged to a lineage of culture and refinement. 
Therefore the old Sackett homestead built in 1770 
was not to his liking. It is true it possessed some 
attractive features, both within and without. The 
wide fireplace, the quaint mantel cupboards, the 
long shingles and the colonial roof with its diminu- 
tive dormers were artistic, but more room was needed 
and hence, more than tifty years ago, the remodeling 
was accomplished. Until it was moved in 1900 to 
make room for the new^ Nichols house it remained 
unchanged. It went to John Sniff'en May 19, 1804, 
and continued in his possession until his death Janu- 
ary 31. 1888. It was subsequently sold by the widow 
and heirs. 

[254] 



THE OLD BLACK WALNUT TREE 

The Sackett boys, the Dominick boys and the 
SnifFen boys all had a happy home under the old 
black walnut tree which may continue to grow for 
centuries to come. 



[255] 



CHAPTKH XXIII 

ROCKY NECK THE SILLECK PIOI^SE 

AMOXG the cherished articles of personal prop- 
erty found among- the effects of tlie hite Solo- 
mon ]Mead and now owned hy his nephew, Elhert 
A. Silleck, is a map of "Rocky Xeck Point." Ex- 
actly given, the title of the map is as follows: "Map 
"of eleven acres of land lying on Kocky Xeck Point, 
"Greenwich steamhoat landing, laid out into bnild- 
"ing lots .50 feet front on th.e road, unless otherwise 
"expressed upon, the map and extending to the water. 
"Surveyed October, 18J3(). and plotted from a scale of 
"13*2 feet to one inch by Wm. II, Holly, X. Currier 
"Lith., Cor. Xassau and Spruce Streets, X. Y." 

The map shows Indian Harbor Point, Field 
Point and an island then called (xreat Island, but 
now Round Island. It also shows the de])th of 
water at the steamboat landing to be six feet at low 
tide, and it indicates the course of a steamboat to 
Stamford and Sawpits. The latter place now has 
the more dignified name of Port Chester. At the 
foot of the map is written in ink, "the above lots to 
be sold on the 23d of March, 1837." This is sug- 
gestive of a vendue, as an auction in those davs was 
called. There were fifty-eight lots and one acre on 
the extreme point was reserved. 

[256] 



ROCKY NECK— THE SILLECK HOUSE 

From the fact that this map was lithographed by 
the firm afterwards so well known as Currier & Ives, 
it is clear that the public vendue must have been ex- 
tensively advertised. 

At that time New York City was a day's journey 
away and was reached usually by market sloop and 
sometimes l)y team down the stage road. 

Greenwich was then sparsely settled, devoted to 
agriculture exclusively, and possessed of considerable 
wealth. The land in (piestion was wild, filled witli 
rocks, and seamed with ledges overshadowed by 
enormous trees. The eleven acres included all the 
land south of the north line of the property of Wil- 
liam H. Teed. 

It appears from the records that as early as 1725, 
all the land from Grigg Street south to the end of the 
point and east as far as the Held House was called 
"Rockie Xecke." It was common land, as wild as 
the Adirondack forest. About that time it was ap- 
portioned off' by the town to tlie different taxpayers, 
who were called "Proprietors," in proportion to their 
respective assessmen.t lists. Under the apportion- 
ment and by a few subsecjuent conveyances all of 
"Rockie Xecke" went into the possession of two 
brothers, Daniel Smith and John Smith. 

Through the marriage of a daughter of Daniel 
Smith much of this property went to Daniel Smith 
Mead, the grandfather of Oliver D. ^Nlead. 

When the Rocky Xeck Co. was formed Daniel 
Smith ^Nlead was deceased and the company bought 

[257] 



OTHER DAYS IX GREENWICH 

tlu' land of his heii's. This j)iiivluise rei)resented the 
first effort of hind speculators in Greenwieh. 

I often talked with those interested in the venture 
and I I'eeall vei"v distinctly tlie details of the transac- 
tion as they were given to me and as they are found 
in the ])ublic records. It was a wild and rocky 
stretch with nothing but a cart path over the line of 
the present higlnvay. 

No attempt had l)een made to cultivate any part 
of it. Many of the primeval forest trees were still 
standing — great oaks that had stretched their limbs 
across the Indian paths of a century earlier. There 
were bowlders of enormous size covered with a wealth 
of moss, and resting in beds of lichens and ferns that 
grew with rank luxuriance about their base. One 
larger and more rustic than all the others was shaped 
like a great chair, filled with moss and backed with ce- 
dars over which the woodbine trailed in graceful profu- 
sion. It was well named the "Indian Chief's Throne." 
To cut such a piece of land as that into fifty-eight 
building lots seemed a wild and chimerical scheme. 

But as I read the list of stockholders of the Rocky 
Neck Co. I find them all men of nerve and character, 
as far as I knew them, and I have a personal knowl- 
edge of all but three. These were John D. Spader, 
who held three shares, Benjamin Andrews, two shares 
and Thomas Simons four shares. ^Ir. Spader was 
the man who subsequently married a daughter of 
Silas Davis and the other two were probably residents 
of New York. 

[258] 



ROCKY NECK— THE SILLECK HOUSE 

The other stockholders were Silas Davis, one 
share; Augustus Lyon, five shares; AVilliam A. 
Husted, two shares; Jonathan A. Close, three shares; 
Walter Davis, one share; Alvan ^lead, one share; 
Solomon Mead, three shares; Daniel S. ^Nlead, one 
share; Zaccheus Mead, Jr., two shares; Husted 
Hohby, two shares; Abraham B. Davis, three shares; 
and Thomas A. jNIead, two shares. Each share liad 
a par value of one hundred dollars. 

Silas Davis appears to have been the leader of the 
enterprise, as he held what was termed a refusal of 
the property for $3500. At the present time it would 
be called a thirty-day option, except that ]Mr. Davis 
had nothino- jn writing. But perhaps he was merely 
carrying out the insti'uctions of such men as Solomon 
Mead and Thomas A. ]Mead in securing the option. 
At that time Solomon ]Mead was only twentv-eio'ht 
years old and as he lived here all his life and died at 
the age of ninety, possessed of more than a million 
of dollars, it is fair to assume that this apparently 
crazy investment was advised and perhaps urged by 
him. Although he thought the price too high, he 
finally approved the scheme, put up his three hun- 
dred dollars and carefully preserved the map, pos- 
sibly as a reminder that in this enterprise he made 
some of his first dollars. 

The company was formed under tlie joint stock 
laws, and the articles of the association which a])pear 
in the land records were evidently prepared bv a 
lawyer. 

[259] 



OTHER DAYS IX GREEN WICH 

Tile piir])o.se of the association was to acquire the 
land and to build a store house or store houses, and 
a whai-f in order that passen^"ers and freight to 
Stamford, New York and other points coidd be 
transported. This was clearly a bid to steamboats 
and sailing vessels to call for passengers and produce, 
but no suggestion was made that the com])any should 
engage in the transportation busin.ess. 

The corporation was, however, to be a close one 
and a sjjccial })r()vision was made whereby any stock 
seeking a purchaser must l)e offered to tlie other 
stockholders. This was too good a thing to afford 
even a taste to outsiders. 

The first meeting was called for September 14, 
1836, at seven o'clock in the evening at the inn of 
Augustus Lyon. The name of that iiui, \\hich was 
one of the stage stops on the mail route between New' 
York and Hoston, was "The I'ilansion House," since 
known as the Lenox House. Here all the incorpo- 
rators gathered and evidently without any lawyer, 
because all they did was to sign the articles of incor- 
poration. There ap])ears to have been no election 
of officers or directors. However, we can imagine 
what a jolly time these young men had in the front 
room of the inn that September night. They all ])ut 
up their money, and in due time the land was con- 
veyed and in the following month "Rill Hen" Holly, 
of Stamford, as everybody called him, made the sur- 
vey and map. 

The following Spring sales began to be made, but 

[260] 



ROCKV NECK— THE SIEEEC K HOUSE 

they were not very active and many times tlie owners 
w^ere almost discourat>e(l. 

It is not uin-easonal)le to suppose tliat most of the 
!)uyers were (hscouraged too, for Captain Ahraham 
Erinckerhoff. wlio liought one of the lots from the 
map. discovered when he made his way in hetween 




KE8KK\KI) 1,()1' IN 1S7() SHOWING KPHHAIM READ HOME- 
STEAD IX EOKEGKOrXD AXD THE MARBLE HOUSE 
BEYOXD 

the roeks and trees, that in order to reach his lot he 
would ha^•e to huy two more. 

The ma]) shows one acre reserved on the extreme 
point. This was afterwards known as tlie Ephriam 
Read property and includes the Indian Ilarhor 
yacht cluh house and t>roun(ls and the cottage sites 
on the east side of the road, huilt hy Charles T. Wills, 
now owned hy the Indian Harhor yacht cluh. The 
incorjK)rat()rs all agreed that the reservation should 
he made, })ut no two of them thought alike as to the 
purpose of the reservation. One wanted it for a com- 

[261] 



OTIIKU 1)A^ S IX (iKKEXWKIl 

inon cow ])aslui'c'. al'tci' the ti-ces wei-f rt'iiioNcd. for 
the use of those who ini,i>ht hiiy and l)iiil(l on the lots. 
Anothei- siinL>este(l tliat siieli a dense I'oi'est wouhl 
snj)|)ly sntlieient firewood I'oi- all who iniu'lit l)nv 
lots. Anothei" ni\L>'ed tlie erection of a cider mill. 
A\^illiani A. Ilusted thonn'ht that the lunil)ei- could 
})e ship])ed to New York at a large ])rotit and the 
cleared f^ronnd used for an a])|)le orcliard. Col. 
JNIead [who. hy the way. had no such title then, hut 
Avas just Thomas] and Solomon Mead thought that 
as the reservation had been made, there was no imme- 
diate necessity of passing ii])on the question of its 
disposition. They tliought that would take care of 
itself, and indeed it did. 

Four of th.e company huilt potato cellai's whei'e the 
Silleck Plouse now" stands. They were ])uilt with 
openings at either end, like the one on Round Island, 
which bears the date, 1827. These cellars belonged 
to Solomon ^Nlead, Thomas A. ^lead and Zaccheus 
JNIead, Jr., but it is uncertain who owned the fourth 
one. The Silleck House was erected over these very 
cellars in 18.38, just one year after they were built. 

This building, a small afl'air, owned by .Tared 
jVIead, prcwed to be unsuccessful. Situated near the 
shore with a dense forest on three sides, it was an 
ideal spot for a (juiet summer retreat. The ti'ouble 
with, the "White House," as Mr. ^lead called it. was 
due to the fact that table supplies were difficult to 
obtain. At that time there was no market in (xreen- 
wich. To sup])lv the table with meat it was .Tared 

[•.'(!-2] 



ROCKY NECK— THE SILLECK HOUSE 

jNIead's custom to purchase laiiil)s and calves of the 
farmers and hutcb.er them on the premises. Vege- 
tables were secured at the market sloops. Butter 
was difficult to buy as the farmers preferred to send 
it to New York. The cows were pastured on Field 
Point, assiu'ing a good supply of milk and cream. 
The water M^as brought from one of the Field Point 
springs, there being no well near the hotel. Apples 
were free to anyone who woidd gather them. 

My. Mead had a good class of boarders at what 
w^as then thought to be remunerative prices, but he 
found it quite a struggle to maintain a satisfactory 
table. His fried fish, broiled lobsters, succulent oys- 
ters and scallops were considered most palatable, but 
there always came a time when the appetite demajided 
fresh meat. 

In the spring of 1849, when the railroad was just 
six months old, he sold out to ^Nlrs. Fanny Runyan 
and IMrs. ]Mary Dennis. These ladies, although they 
were joint owners of the real estate, were partners in 
business only one summer. On the 9th of Fel)ruarv, 
18.50, jNIrs. Dennis sold out to Thomas Funston. 
His wife was Mrs. Runyan's sister and Mrs. Elbert 
A. Silleck is his granddaughter. 

In the winter of 1854-5 upon the death of ]Mrs. 
Funston, ^Ir. Funston sold his interest to Thaddeus 
Silleck, although he did not take title till ^lay 25 of 
the latter year. 

The Silleck House is the oldest hotel on either 
shore of the Sound from Sands' Point to Stonington. 

[263] 



O'illKK DAYS IX (;UKKX\\ Kir 



Tliesc details liave l)een carefully <>atliere(l for the 
reason that it has many times heen erroneously stated 
that Thaddeus Silleek was the founder of the hotel 
hcai'in^ his name since 1876. 

Mis. Kunyan died at Kocky Neck Jan. 2(>. IDl.'J. 
aa'cd OS. From her 1 ohtaincd mauv interestin<>' facts 
ahout the Wliite House \ou<y l)efore the war. Imag- 
ine ])oai"d at '$'2. 50 per week! And yet slie and Mr. 

Silleek had many serious 
conferences that first year 
of their })artnership over 
the advisabihty of in- 
creasing the rate a single 
dollar. Hut when it was 
done, to their great sur- 
prise, nobody objected 
and they found it just as 
easy to collect the ^'S.M) 
as the old rate. 

The old registers show 
the class of boarders was 
exceptionally good. Among them were Prof. King 
of Columbia College, W. 15. Taylor, the New Vork 
postmaster, Roliert M. Bruce, Horace Greeley, 
Charles A. Whitney, John G. Wellstood, Charles (;. 
Cornell, Peter Asten, Archil)ald Parks, John Hoey. 
afterwards President of the iVdams Kx])ress Co., and 
his talented wife, for many years the leading lady at 
Wallack's. 

Years aao there was a fascination about (yreenwich 

[264] 




.lonx (.. WKi.i.si'ooi) 

isi:}-is9:i 

l-atluT (if Town Clerk Wt-llstood 



ROCKY NECK— THE SILLECK HOUSE 

that to some extent has disappeared. The place was 
rather inaccessible, the roads were poor, there were 
no sidewalks or modern conveniences of any kind, 
but there was the beautiful Sound, serene skies, the 
broad fields, with no barbed wire fences or trespass 
signs, so that all the blessings seemed to be individual 
in which one's ownership was perfect. 

This is probably what made Greenwich so popular 
when once established as a place of quiet enjoyment. 
The children and the grandchildren of many of those 
early boarders are still patronizing the Silleck House. 

The old land company has been well-nigh side- 
tracked. Let us see how it finished. The amount 
invested had been small l)ut the stockholders sighed 
for dividends, and some were so disappointed that 
they sold out to the others at a loss. But the re- 
served acre on the point saved the day to tliose who 
held on and about 1850 all the land had been sold at 
constantly increasing prices. When the final settle- 
ment was made there was distributed to the survivors 
a net profit of a substantial amount. 

Before Solomon ^lead died, that reserved acre had 
been sold for about fifty thousand dollars. How 
much Solomon Mead made out of his first venture is 
unknown, but he was one of the survivors and he 
always said he was satisfied with the result. 

When I look at the map that he folded away so 
many years ago, I am inclined to believe that he re- 
garded tlie Rocky Xeck Land Co. as the corner stone 
of his great fortime. 

[263] 



CllAPTEK XXIV 

RAn,K()ADs IX Tin: l:Al{l,^ davs 

EA1{L^^ in tlie iiiiieteeiitli ceiitui-v tliere was con- 
siderable activity in oiii" (ieneral ^Assembly, in 
<.n'antin,<>' cbarters to railroads. Tbe turnjjikes and 
canals of tlie ])recedin<>' century liad proved remu- 
nerati\e and it was reasoned tliat i-ailroads as means 
of transportation wovdd l)e still more ])r()titable. 

In 18.*32 tlie Xorwicli 6c Worcester was incorpo- 
rated, followed in 18.30 l)y the Housatonic; the Xew 
York & Xew^ Haven in 1844<; the \au<J'atnck in 184.5, 
and the Xew Haven & Xorthampton in 184<(). 

I am not aware when, these roads were constructed 
but the Xew Haven R. U. sent its first train through 
Greenwich on Christmas day, 1848, Among the 
passengers from Xew York was William Henry 
^Nlead and lie is the last survivor of the Greenwich 
})eople who were on that train. He was also on the 
first trolley car that came up Greenwich Avenue, 
August 17, 11H)1. 

It has been said that the first construction of the 
Xew Haven railroad was quite a crude affair. But in 
1859 it was double-tracked and had in a great 
measure recovered from the financial difficulties into 
which its first ])resident, Robert Schuyler of Xew^ 
York, had plunged it. 

[266] 



RAILROADS IX THE EARLY DAYS 

111 the early days a stockholder, and there were 
many in Greenwich, was never willing to admit that 
he owned a share. Owing to what were termed the 
"Schuyler frauds" and also to great losses occasioned 
by the Xorwalk disaster which occurred May 6, 1853, 
when a train ran into an open draw and killed fifty 
passengers, the stock had very little vahie. At that 
time Justin R. Buckley of New York was ])resideiit 




LOCOMOTIVE NO. -^7 
X. Y. & X. H. R. R. 

and among the directors were Capt. William L. 
Lyon of Greenwich and J. W. Leeds of Stamford. 

Capt. Lyon owned and occupied what is now known 
as the John Yoorhis h.omestead on Putnam Avenue, 
with extensive gardens and lawns extending along 
Greenwich Avenue as far south as the garage of 
Allen Brothers. He was the grandfather of Luke 
Vincent Lockwood. 

James H. Hoyt of Stamford was Superintendent 
and he possessed greater power and influence in the 

[267] 



OTHER DAYS IN GREENWICH 



management of tlie road tlian the president, who was 
little known in Conneeticut. Superintendent Hoyt 
was the father of (xeorge H. Hoyt, who hegan his 
l)nsiness career as ticket agent in the Stamford station 
and at the time of his deatli had. for many years, ])een 
president of the Stamford Savin.gs Rank. 

The rails were light, rarely meeting at the ends, 
heing ])higged with a hlock of wood. The rails rested 

on what were called 
"chairs" and w^ere not 
fastened so as to make a 
practically continuous rail 
as at present. To travel 
on such a railroad re- 
(juired considerable forti- 
tude as well as ])atience. 

Greenwich had seven 
trains each, way in 1859 
MOSES CHisTY and no Sunday trains. 

i here were rive trams to 
New York in the morning, namely the .5. 20, 6.36, 7. '21, 
8.37 and 11.3(>. The 7.21 was the popular morning- 
train, used by the commuters, of whom there were a 
very limited number. Of these 1 recall Robert ^NI. 
Rruce, John G. Wellstood, Charles A. Whitney, 
Closes Christy, Luther Prescott Hubbard and Henry 
M. Renedict. 

From New York th.e first train left Twenty-seventh 
Street at 7 a. m. The cars were drawn up Fourth 
Avenue — four horses to each car — to 32nd Street [a 

[268] 




RAILKOAUS IX THE EARLY DAYS 

little later to -i'iiid Street] where a wood burning 
engine was attached. Think of sucli a thing happen- 
ing now ill front of the new Vander})ilt Hotel! 

The first stop was at Williamsbridge at 7.37. This 
was originally the northern terminus of tlie Harlem 
railroad, the first railroad built out of New York, and 
on the north side of the track may still be seen the 
remains of the foundation of the old turntable. 

The stations following were ]Mt. Yernon. New 
Rochelle, JMamaroneck, Rye and Port Chester, reacli- 
ing Greenwich at 8.21. Tliere were no such, stations 
as Columbus Ave., 12ath St., Pelhani, Larchmont or 
Harrison. There was at that time no South Nor- 
walk, but at the Norwalk station a liorse car line 
ran to the Borough of Norwalk. 

The time table of that year, a bit of yellow pa])er, 
printed on both, sides and only six by ten inches in 
size, is among my possessions. The difference be- 
tween that modest little affair and the throu""h time 
table of to-day. with its sixty-two pages, represents 
the difference in the importance of the road then and 
at the present time. 

This was before the days of consolidations and the 
inconveniences of transportation of half a century 
ago h.ave been eliminated by the union of corporations. 

\Ve take a parlor car at New York, and in five 
hours, having had all the comforts of a delightful 
journey, step out at the South Station in l^oston. 
But on this little yellow time table there is no assur- 
ance that the Boston express — there were two daily — 

[269] 



othp:r days ix Greenwich 

would ever carry you beyond New Haven. That 
was the end of tlie hue and upon arrival you were 
turned over to another road. If the trains made 
o-()()d connections you might expect to reacli Boston 
in seven hours, including ten minute stops for refresh- 
ments, at such points as Hartford, S])ringfield and 
Worcester. Vou were in charge of a new set of 
trainmen, without uniforms, and you jogged on over 
a rough roadbed, dodging hot cinders from the engine 
and swaying back and fortli in tb^e narrow rigid seats. 

There existed scarcely a community of interest 
between the New Haven road, seventy-two miles 
long, and the other roads of the State. The first 
train out of Xew York left at 7 a. m. and passengers 
for the l)anbiu-y & Xorwalk R. R. were told to 
take that train and change cars at Xorwalk. The 
same remark was made of the Housatonic, the X'aug- 
atuck and X"ew I^ondon R. R. Com])anies. Each 
was an independent concern, never waiting beyond its 
time of departure. Tlie X"ew Haven road simply 
suggested, but not in words, "we will take you where 
you can find another raili'oad and you take yoiu' 
chances." 

But the road was making money and paying ten 
per cent dividends, with a good surplus in the treas- 
ury. Indeed the law makes it compulsory to pay to 
the State all railroad earnings in excess of ten per 
cent unless the same is recpiired for equipment or 
roadbed. It is needless to say that the State has 
never received a dividend. There were enough o])- 

[270] 



RAILROADS IX THE EARLY DAYS 

portunities to make improvements and one of these 
was in new locomotives. 

When Xo. 27 came out the directors gave Currier 
v*v: Ives of Xew York a commission to make litho- 
graph pi'ints. in colors, of the engine and tliey were 
o-iven a^vav to friends of the road. It was a liaht 




CIKKKNWRH 1{. U. STAllOX 1^.M) 

affair, witli a great bulging smoke stack, the driving 
wheels painted a gay red. but half the weight of an 
ordinary yard engine of tlie present day. 

In the spring of 18(58 two parlor cars were ])ut on 
tile Boston express trains. These it was believed 
would add materially to the comfort of the traveler. 
These cars were of the English Coach model, divided 

[278] 



OTHER DAVS IX GREEXAVICH 

into compartiiR-iits with a dooi- fVoni each opening 
onto the runninf>- l)()ar(l. They were called "X^ew 
York" and "Hoston" and left each city about eight 
o'clock. They were supplied hy the Wagner Parlor 
Car Co. They were never popular and the following 
year one was destroyed in a train shed tire and the 
other was withdrawn. 

The club car was unknown in those days but cer- 
tain commuters who desired to play cards occupied 
their own camp chairs in the baggage car. These 
chairs were in charge of the baggage master, who had 
little else to do, and his conijjensation was a generous 
Christmas collection. This was the origin of the 
present club car service. 

The location of the Greeinvich station in 18.59 was 
about seventy feet north of the present site but the 
building now in use is the same, enlarged and im- 
[)roved, when the four tracks were laid in ISD.'J. 

It was a quiet spot, where that old station stood 
fifty years ago. Henry Sackett's great farm barn 
across the road, south of where the Daly building 
now stands, gave fortli an aroma of the country as 
the passengers left the train and walked past it on a 
lane twelve feet wide to (xreenwich Avenue. There 
was always one hack in attendance, owned and o])er- 
ated by William Elliott. He was a man of various 
responsibilities, for besides being the backman he 
was the ticket agent, baggage master an_d hotel pro- 
])rietor. He was just such a bustling ty])e of thin, 
sinewy man as one linds to-day occupying; similar 

[274] 



RAILROADS IN THE EARLY DAYS 

positions, at remote little stations in Maine and New 
Hampshire. 

In those days there was no telegraph station and 




WILLIAM H. WALLACE 
At age of l(i 

it was years afterwards before the Adams Ex])ress 
Co. took any notice of Greenwich.. 

It was INIr. Elliott's cnst(!m to sit on tlie station 
platform during tlie long summer days, fighting flies 
and dozing away the time lietween trains, while the 
bovs would sneak up behind him and tickle his ears 



OTHER DAYS IX GREENWICH 

with a timothy head. When they tired of tliis, tliey 
would go dow^n under the stone arch, after wliicli the 
sti-eet h'ds since heen named, and, hui-i'vino- alonu' the 
dusty road in their haste to ^et into the water at 

tlie head of the creek, shed 
their clothinf>-, one i)iece 
after another, until there 
was scarcely a ]jause be- 
fore they \vere nude and 
immersed. 

But the boys' fun was 
considerably curtailed af- 
ter ]Mr. Elliott employed 
William II. Wallace as 
an assistant. Although 
"Billy'' AVallace was then 
only sixteen years old he 
felt the responsibilities of 
his position and the boys 
liad to stop foolint^" around 
the station, although it was 
several years before the swimming hole was aban- 
doned. 

There wasn't much for young Wallace to do but 
paint the chairs and scrub the iiooi-s. but he made tlie 
old station such a model one that it attracted the at- 
tention of the officials. His reputation for cleanli- 
ness must have been well established among the school 
children, for I know that the following incident actu- 
ally occurred: One day diaries H. ^Vright, the 

[276] 




CHAUI.l.S II. WRIGHT 
A-i-e of ^i 
Ift;}4.-18T8 



RAILROADS IN THE EARLY DAYS 




principal of the public scliool, was walking" along the 
track with a favorite scholar. The summer sun was 
just sinking in tlie west as the man and hoy looked 
ahead at the glittering rails and exclaimed "How 
beautiful!" At their feet 
the iron was dull and tar- 
nished but where the sun- 
light struck them, in front 
of tlie station and down 
at tlie Field Point cross- 
ing, the rails shone like 
liurnished silver. 

'Tt is the finger of God 
in the sunshine, my boy. 
that tui'iis tliis liomely 
iron to those tlu'eads of 
silver," suid tlie teacher. 
The boy replied, '"Oh, no 
scouring 'em." 

However, Mr. Wallace secured the confidence of 
the ofHcials and became the first baggage master at 
the station. Then he succeeded "Sir. Elliott as ticket 
affent and fi-om freight conductor to conductor of one 
of the finest through trains, he finally became assist- 
ant superintendent, which position he held for many 
years, with an office at New Haven. He died at his 
home on ^lilbank Avenue April ,5, 1906. 

In those days there were no through freight trains; 
one local that ran down in the forenoon and back 
at nigh.t. Conductor Jones was in charge with old 

[277] 



W ll,l,!AM H. WAIJ.ACE 
\s Asst. Sunt. X. V., X. H. & H. 

a. K. 
Billv Wallace has been 



OTHER DAYS IX GREENWICH 

engine Xo. 10. He knew everybody on tlie line and 
after his freight was loaded he was sometimes reluc- 
tant to leave till an especially good story was told. 

The milk train down at 10.30 at night was some- 
times used by passengers who occupied tlie caboose. 

The conductors and brakemen were not compelled 
to wear a uniform, the only mark of their official posi- 
tion being a piece of metal, fastened to the front of 
the cap marked "Conductor" or "Brakeman." But 
the conductor tlien had all the responsibility of run- 
nino" his train, while now the trains are controlled bv 
the tower men. They were often the recipients of 
presents from commuters in the form of gold watches 
and lan.terns of rich cut glass, bearing the name of the 
official. 

The cars were low, and covered with a flat roof, with- 
out ventilators, with very small windows and lighted 
by four coach lamps containing coal oil. This ab- 
sence of light required the conductor to have a lantern 
on his arm w^hile punching and collecting tickets and 
reading by the passengers was impossible. At each 
end of the car was a long wood stove, by the side of 
which was a wood box, usually filled ^\'ith white birch. 
The brakeman attended to the fire and "broke" the 
train at the call of the engineer by two sharp whistles. 

Every train carried a "water boy" whose duty it 
was to go through the train occasionally and supply 
the jjassengers with water carried in a tin receptacle 
resembling a watering pot, without the rose, and sur- 
rounded by half a dozen glasses in tin brackets. 

[278] 



RAILROADS IN THE EARLY DAYS 

Mruy of the old time conductors rose from the humble 
post of water boy, entering the service at the age of 
fourteen. 

It was certainly no easy task to travel and yet I 
recall one occasion when I rode with my father over 
the "Old Colony k Newport R. R.," such rolling stock 
as I have described was referred to as the "luxuries of 
travel" and so it was in comparison to the stage coach 
and canal which, as means of transportation, hud been 
abandoned but comparatively few years. 




I.COKIMI DOWN THE HARBOU lHo9 FUO-M NEAR R. R. 

STATION 



[279] 



CHAPTKH XXV 

1{I\ l.HSIDK AM) SOrXl) lU'.Al II 

PHI OH to 1870 Hi\c'rsi(le was iiiuiaiiKd and 
Sound Htac'li was Old Greenwicli. A cciiturv 
earlit'i" it was "Old Town/' ^Vll that poi'tion of the 
to^\■n now known as Sonnd l^each is historic ground. 
In 1()4() it was called ^lonakawaye, tliat name oradii- 
ally limiting' itself to the ])oint. which, a few years 
later, hecanie l^'dizaheth Xeck. Avhich name it retained 
for many years. Latei". it hoi-e the name of Old 
(Ti'eeiiwich Point and J. Kennedy 'I'od calls it Innis 
Arden. 

It i-eceived its first Kno-lish name fi'om Klizahetii 
Feaks. who. under the first Indian dt^fd. hecanie a 
part owner of that territory and with lier hushand, 
John Feaks, lived on the heautifnl ])oint, "Good INIa 
Feaks,'' as she was called, was a daughter of John 
Winthi'op. who was (rONcrnor of Massachusetts with 
little intei'mission from 1(».*}() until his death in KUl). 
She and her hushand. with C'apt. Daniel Fati'ick. 
Capt. John Fnderhill, Jeff're Ferris, and a few- 
others, were the first settlers of (rreenwich and they 
estahlished themselves along the shore ol* the Sound. 

]\'iti'ick and I'nderhill wei"e fighting cliaractei's and 
galhuitly shared with C'a|)t. John Mason, another 

[280] 



RIVERSIDE AND SOUND BEACH 

fighting mail, the hardships and glories of the Pequot 
War in 1637. The other settlers were men of peace. 

Feaks and Patrick came to Greenwich early in 
1640. Tliey \vere acting under the authority and in 
behalf of the Colony of Xew Haven and they at once 
opened negotiations with the Senawaye Indians for 
the purchase of land for a settlement. The red men, 
caring less for land than for coats and blankets, were 
(}uite willing to part witli tlieir ancient possessions, 
and on July 18, 1640. they formally executed to Feaks 
and Patrick a conveyance of a large tract including 
all of what is now Sound Beach. This deed was un- 
recorded for forty-five years, when it took its place in 
Vol. 1, page 1. of the Greenwich Land Records, where 
the copy now is, yellow and faded with age but per- 
fectly legible, under a magnifying glass, and signed 
by old Amogorone, whose name is now associated 
with the Greenwich Fire Department. 

In the early sixties there was nothing but open 
fields, beautiful trees, along the highwavs and a mag- 
nificent view at Sound Beach. Of course it had 
farmers and they were prosperous, because the soil 
was wonderfully productive — the place often being 
called the garden spot of Greenwich. The soil is 
black, free from ledge or bowlder and well adapted 
to the cultivation of celery, strawberries and aspar- 
agus. When it was out of season on the farm there 
was an oyster boat in the cove near by, for the Sound 
Beach farmer plowed the sea as well as the land. 

The old Ferris homestead, still standing, was at the 

[281] 



OTHER DAYS IX GREENWICH 




entrance gate of the Sound shore, where scallops in 
large quantities were caught after the first of October. 
Din-ino- the warm summer days after the hav had 
been gathered and the potatoes hoed for the last time, 
the farmers from Greenwicli and Stamford, and some 

even from Bedford, made 
it a point to give their 
families an outing on the 
broad beach or they would 
camp out for a week or 
t\\o un.der the great oaks 
that grow on the point. 

Riverside had no rail- 
road station until about 
1870. Both the station 
and the post office were 
established through the 
efforts of Jeremiah W. Atwater and Luke A. 
Lockwood. ]Mr. Atwater and his family came 
to Greenwich from Brooklyn and bought a house 
and lot of Titus Mead on February 27, 186.5. 
The place was located on the west side of North 
Street and is now owned by William F. H. Lock- 
wood. ]Mr. Atwater was a commuter on the railroad, 
having a real estate office in New York. Some three 
or four years afterwards he moved to what is now 
Riverside and began the active development of that 
part of the town. He bought large tracts at what 
were considered large prices but what he sold brought 
him a good profit. He also engaged in house con- 

[282] 



Ll KE A. LOCKWOOD 

1833-1905 



RIVERSIDE AND SOUND BEACH 

stmction, building some of the best houses in River- 
side and thus improving his land was better able to 
dispose of it. 

He was very optimistic and although the liard 




AMA8A A. MARKS 
1835-1905 

times of 1873 and the years that preceded the re- 
sumption of specie payments made his schemes of 
development more difficult, he never lost courage but 
was always confident that in the end he would "come 
in a sure winner," as, in fact, he did. 

Luke A. Eockwood, a New York lawyer who lived 
at the old homestead and died November 20, 1905, in 

[283] 



OTITKK DAYS IN GREENWICH 

tlic Iioiisc ill wliic'h liu N\as horn. _i>avL' to Mr. iVtwatcr 
liearty ('iK*()ura<>x'iiient and tliiis were e.stal)lislie(l tlie 
railroad station, a post olliee. and St. Paul's eha))el, 
no\\ an Ej)iseo])al C'hureli in(le|)endent of Christ 
Chureh. organized originally as a |)ri\ ate eor|)oration. 

The <>r()wtli and inii)ortanee of Sound Heaeh may 
be largely attributed to the efforts of iAiuasa A. 
Marks. He was a New Vork nuinui'aelurer and 
business nian. who eaiiie to (ireeiiwieh and. on Janu- 
•A\'\ 12. 1872. hounht of Charles Ileiidrie. Jr.. about 
twenty-five aeres of shore front land for $1 (),.')()(). 
The |)riee he paid for the land shows that he was a 
pioneer. The man who sold him the land was a nati\ c 
and the ohl homestead still stands, a beautiful 
exam])le of an old-time mansion, 

IMr. Charles Ilendrie had a brother, J. W . Ilendrie, 
who is well reiiieiiibered by his neinhhors at Sound 
Eeaeli. He was a orathiate of \ iilc Colle<>e. a mem- 
ber of the famous elass of 1851. and u])on reeeiving 
his degree lie embarlved for California. In the eity 
of San Franeiseo, Avhere he was early a lart»e land- 
owner, he beeame rieh from the |)rofits of the gold 
mines. The law sehool building at Ynh-, known as 
Hendrie Hall, was his gift. 

^Ir. ^Nlarks and ^Ir. Hendrie. who in those early 
days spent a few montlis each year at the old home- 
stead, eooperated as far as possible in the improve- 
ment of the roads, the eonstruetion of a new sehool 
building and in many other ways made their inttuenee 
felt in the eommunity. Mr. Marks left a son. W'il- 

[284] 



RIVERSIDE AND SOUND BEACH 

liani I J. Marks, who is still a resident of Sound 
Beach, heing the public spirited owner of Laddin's 
Rock Farm. George E. Marks, another son, who in 
his younger days was a civil engineer in town, is now 
a resident of New York City. 

The advent of the railroad in 1848 led many of the 
old residents to believe that a station would be located 
in that neighborhood, (xilbert ^Marshall resided in 
the house still standing nearly opposite the present 
Sound Beach station. He owned considerable land 
in that vicinity and it was his desire to have a station 
at that jjoint. 

It is difficult to imagine for whose accomnuxlation 
it was required, but Mr. Marshall was determined to 
get the station and he got it — on the maj). In his 
deed of a part of the right of way he liad his lawyer in- 
sert these words: "Said Company is to establish a 
"regular stoj^ping place on said land and if said Com- 
"pany should fail to use it as a passenger depot for 
"three months at any one time after said road shall 
"have been completed between New Haven and New 
"York, then the said land shall revert to and become 
"the property of said ^Marshall." 

The old man told me it was just as sti'ong as 
Charles Hawley could write it and still the station 
remained a promise unfulfilled for thirty-one years 
and long after the old man had passed a\Nay. For 
years before his death I often saw him standing at the 
south door as the train rattled by looking as if he was 
still waiting and expecting the long deferred station. 

[^85] 



CHAPTER XX\ I 

THE OCTAGON HOUSE 

THE Greeiiwicli Hospital on ^Nlilbaiik Avenue 
occupies land where formerly stood the Octagon 
House. 

In the spring of 18.3*) this house stood alone in a 
wide territory of farm land. It had been built about 
two years. IMason Street, then called on a map in 
the Town Clerk's office "First Avenue," had not been 
opened and Milbank Avenue from Putnam Avenue 
to Davis Avenue was called I^ove I^ane, sometimes 
JMill Lane. South of that it went by the name of 
Second Avenue. 

Aaron Woolsey and Edwin ^lead owned all that 
tract north of Elm Street bounded on tlie east by Mil- 
bank x\ venue, on the west by (xreenwich Avenue and 
extending north to the ^lason property, now I^ewis 
Street. This land was all very productive and from 
the Octagon House was an unbroken view, south and 
west across tields of timothy and grain. 

Solomon S. Gansey built tlie house from ])lans 
claimed by him to be original. He said he expected to 
build a house of an entirely new and original style 
of architecture and the ])lan as first drawn showed 
one more story than was finally constructed. The 

[286] 



THE OCTAGOX HOUSE 

third story for lack of funds was omitted and the 
cii])ola occupied its place. 

Jacob T. Weed had an inn at the head of Green- 
wich Avenue, in those days, and among those who 
made the inn a place of rendezvous, particularly Sat- 




TIIE OCTAGON HOUSE 

urday nights, was the builder, ]Mr. Gansey. When 
JNIr. Gansey showed the plans to ]Mr. Weed, the latter 
suggested that the house be built out of plumb, so as 
to resemble the leaning tower of Piza. ^Ir. Gansey 
told jMr. Weed that he didn't know what he meant, 
but that he had a suspicion that ]Mr. Weed was 
laughing at him. 

However, the house construction went on with its 

[287] 



OTHEU DAYS IX (iKEKXWICH 

wiiulows and dooi-s on eight sides, till it was com- 
pleted in the iniperfeet manner already deserihed. 

lirnsh Knapp was a native of Cxreenwich who, 
when he was a youth, had left the Round Hill farm 
for X^ew York City. lie heeame wealthy as a whole- 
sale grocer and in 1850 retired, and purchased of 
AVilliam L. I^yon seven acres and a dwelling house 
on X^orth Street, now the property of Cornelius 
Mead and lately occupied by (xcorge Gnion. 

On the second of April, 18.59, he bought the 
Octagon house of George A. Palmer for $5, ()()(), in- 
cluding one and one-half acres of land. The same 
month he Iiought of Aaron AYoolsey of Bedford, 
X"^. Y., for $1„500 five acres adjoining his first pur- 
chase. At that time the opening of what is now ]Ma- 
son Street between Kim and the present I^ewis Street 
was somewhat uncertain, as shown by 3[r. Knapp's 
deed which reads as follows: 

"In case the said Brush Knapp and adjoining 
"owners shall deside to keep it (First Avenue) ])er- 
"manently closed then each party shall own to the 
"center of said First Avenue, opposite the land owned 
"by him." 

It was about ten years before this portion of Mason 
Street was opened and it held the name of First 
Avenue till 1881 when it was extended north to Put- 
nam Avenue and the street, for its entire length, 
named ^lason Street. 

JNIr. Knapp had been an active business man in 

[288] 



THE OCTAGOX HOUSE 

Xew York and for those days had amassed a fortune. 
He was pleased with tlie location and surroundings of 
the house, but he often stated that when the place was 
new to him he had to take his bearings with some care, 
lest in attempting to go out at tlie front door he 
emerged at the back door, so confusing was tlie con- 
struction of his eight sided house. 

INIr. Knapp 
was a man of 
excellent judg- 
ment and was 
active in the 
management of 
Borough affairs, 
occupying the 
position of Bur- 
g e s s ma n y 
terms. His keen 
business instinct 
enabled him as 
the B o rough 
grew to sell off 

„ .. , BRUSH KNAPP 

irom time to ^^ ;5 

time portions of iso7-is95 

his original j^urchase until he had gotten his money 

back several times over, and still retained his home 

with ample ground, 

AVlien ^Nlason Street was opened from Elm Street 
to Lewis Street he built one of the first houses on the 

[289] 




OTHER DAYS IX (aiKKXWKII 

street, wliere liis daugliters, Amelia and ^lartha 
Kiiapp, lived for a niiinher of years. The house is 
now owned by David K. Allen. 

In 1885 jNIr. Knapp sold the home to ^Nlary War- 
ing INIead and went to live in the JNIason Street house, 
where his last days were spent. 



[290] 



CHAPTER XXVII 

THE OLD :mii.l at stoxybkooke 

THE first house north of Cornehiis ^Mead's on the 
road to Stan^vich is the liome of George P. 
Waterl)ury, known as Stonybrooke, and recently 
jjurchased by J. Howland Hunt. One liundred and 
seventy years ago this road was called the By- 
field Road. No on.e knows why it bore that name, 
but it is fre(iuently mentioned in the early land records 
and may have referred to a road by a field, at a time 
wl^en cleared ground was rare. 

The house, which stands on a knoll beneath an an- 
cient elm, looks out across a merry brook and down 
a road, curving between moss-c(wered stone walls. 
Beyond this road, with its graceful curves, is a broad 
stretch of meadow, called in the old deeds "the Hook 
land." and still farther away the trees of a dense 
forest meet the sky line. 

The first settler on this spot, then common land, 
was Caleb ^Nlead. He was born in 1698 and tradition 
has it that he was forty-one years old when he built 
the first house at Stonybrooke. It was on the exact 
spot where the present house stands. In 1750 at the 
age of fifty-six Caleb Mead died, leaving three sturdy 
sons. Caleb, Jeremiah and Titus. 

[291] 



O'lIIKU 1)A^S IX (iUKKXWICII 

Calt'l). the CatlKi-. K ft n will l)\- whifli lie <»a\c' all 
his land, (ii^■i(i(.'(l and iin(ii\ idcd, 'lyiiii'' in (ii'ccnw ich 
Township, Faii'tield County. Connecticut Colony, in 
Xew Kn_t>land," to he cciually divided between his 
three sctns, above mentioned. After his death, the 
boys made (li\isi()n of the land by the e.\ehanL>e of 
(]uit claim deeds, and the homestead went to Jeremiah. 

'Die t'ollowino' yeai\ 1751, Jeremiah toi'e down the 
old house, and using some of the old frame. l)uilt the 
western half of the present house. Th.e fire])laces 
in the kitclien and living-room and in the chambers 
above are suggestive of a time when they were the 
only means of cooking the food and warming the 
house. The eastern half of the house lias been built 
within the last sixty years. That portion of the 
liou^e iivst I uilt, reveals massive oak beams, wrought 
iron nails and handmade latches and hinges that tell 
of house construction methods one hundi'ed and tifty 
years ago. 

It is probable that about this time the mill site on 
the ])roperty was first utilized. 

\Vhile the dam was rebuilt in 1880 and bears that 
date, it is well known that the new dam gave ])lace 
to one of more ancient construction and })y some it has 
been claimed that Caleb Mead, the first settler, made 
use of the water power foi' a cider mill, traces of the 
foundations of which are still pointed out in the 
orchard south of the house. It is more likely, how- 
ever, that the first use of the water power was for a 
saw mill. It is known that manv of the earliest 

[202] 



THE OLD MILL AT STONYBROOKE 

bouses in Greenwich were supplied with material 
sawed at that mill. Jeremiah ^Nlead ran the mill and 
managed the farm during- his life. 

His son, Edmund JNIead, taking up the work after 
his death, raised a familv of twelve children. The lat- 




I.OWKR FALLS, STONYBROOKE 

Power for the churn and ice-cream freezer 

ter consisted of six boys — James. Reuben, Allen, Al- 
fred, Edmund and Irving, and six daughters, Laura, 
Eunice, Anna, I^ydia, Emeline and Samantha. 
Upon the third son, Allen, the father of Dr. Beverly 
E. Mead, devolved early in life the management of 
the old mill. He measured the lumber and thereby 
learned to solve manv a mathematical problem which 

[293] 



OTHER DAYS IX (;UKKX\\ I( H 

tlie sc'liool hoys of tliose days could not master. He 
learned niiisie wlien musical attainments were not 
looked upon ^^'ith favor by the hard-working farmers, 
hut Allen caught many a s])are moment among the 
logs around the old mill to study the art of music 
as taught l)y Lowell jNIason. a famous Hostou teacher 
who had a class in Stamford. 

Later, the farm descended to the son, Ldmund, 
who ran the mill for many years and died at the old 
place IMay 9, 1893. He was the father of Irving 
JNIead of Stanwich and of Mrs. John H. Banks of the 
Borough. It was less than thirty years ago that the 
mill wheel was stopped and the old mill was given 
over to the storage of plows and harrows. It was 
torn down about 1909. 

The illustration shows how the old building rested 
against a great tree. But for that tree it would have 
fallen several years liefore it finally became imsafe. 
It was probably the last of its kind near the village 
and it was an interesting relic of the generations that 
have gone before. 



[296] 




SNAP SHOTS AT S TON Y15U( )()K !•: 



CHAPTER XXVIII 

THE OLD MII>L AT DAVIS LANDING 

IN an early chapter, reference has been made to tlie 
old Davis mill. It was a great disappointment to 
me that it had to he torn down, because I always 
loved the old mill. I caught eels under its great 
wheel before I was ten years old. I dove from the 
rocks into the pond, and swam with the tide through 
the race-way and as I grew older I fished for snap- 
pers from the window on the south side. 1 knew 
every mysterious nook and cranny in the old building. 

l?ut at last it grew so weak with age that it was 
no longer safe to allow it to stand. The upper part 
of the building was sound. Every timber and plank 
in it were hewn from the native forests and the marks 
of the adze were visible. Some of the oak was as 
hard as bone, but the sills and the lower floor timbers 
had for so many years felt the direct influence of the 
salt water that they were thoroughly decayed and 
there was great danger of a complete collapse. 

The mill was built in 170.5. At that time Church 
and State were closely united. Ecclesiastical prop- 
erty was town property. The meeting house, as the 
name indicates, w^as used for both religious and secu- 
lar i)uiposes. The minister was supported by the 
taxpayers, and the town meeting hired and discharged 

[299] 



OTHER DAYS IX GKEKXWICII 

as it .saw fit. Rev. Joseph M()rt>aii was the minister 
in tliat year and by a vote of tlie town. Jannary 9, 
1704, he was ^ranted tlie privile<>'e of hnihhn<^' a mill 
on Cos Col) I'iver. 

The stream referred to as Cos Cob river was some- 
times known as Brothers brook and later Davis' ereek. 
JNIany have snpposed that the river referred to is the 
creek at Cos Cob, but in this they are mistaken, as 
that was always called in the records the "^Nlyan.os 
river." 

The i>rant to 1 iiild the mill was accorded to Mr. 
]Morgan with a view to aiding in. liis support, and as 
a convenience to the inl^aliitants who wanted their 
corn ground. Rut the mill was very profitable and 
it became a serious question with the deacons of the 
church whether ^Ir. ^Morgan was not devoting less 
time to the spiritual interests of his jjarish and more 
to the running of the mill tlian was best for those 
concerned. 

The town had given to Mr. Morgan thirty acres 
of common land and a house lot where the village is 
now located, and the people thought he should be 
there most of the time, rather than at the mill. 

There was, however, a difference of opinion as to 
whether ]Mr. ^I organ was justified in his course and 
therefore at a town meeting held July 20, 1708, it 
was voted to leave the matter for decision to the minis- 
ters of the County, very much as such differences in 
tliese days would be settled. 

Kbenezer Mead and Caleb Knapp were a])])ointed 

[;jo()] 




" y 




ill 





THE OLD MILL AT DAVIS LAXDIXG 

a committee to lay the subject before the united min- 
istry of Fairfield County and the result was adverse 
to ]Mr. ^lorgan. The ministers decided that ^Ir. 
.Morgan ought to hire a competent miller, while its 
owner should attend to the spiritual wants of his 
parish. 

The matter was decided with great promptness, 
but ^Ir. 3Iorgan showed a reluctance to yield and on 
the 27th of August. 1708. the town voted that :\lr. 
]Morgan must obey or the committee should hire an- 
other minister by "ye last of September." 

However, ]Mr. ^lorgan held out till the 17th of 
October, wlien he gave up the fight, stuck to his mill, 
and the committee secured another preacher. 

The mill must have been a source of great profit, 
for after ^Ir. ^lorgan's death it was sold at auction 
for a large price, and what seems very singular to a 
man who had no interests here — to a genuine out- 
sider by the name of \"alentine. He lived in Oyster 
Bay, Long Island, then called "Xassau Island." He 
owned a trading sloop, that had frequently made a 
harbor in "Chimney Corner" and in that way Capt. 
Valentine knew of the value of the property and was 
present when it was offered for sale. 

The Valentine family owned the old mill till 17(U 
when it was sold to Thomas Davis, wlio also came 
from Oyster bay. He ran the mill up to the time of 
the Revolutionary war. His two sons, Stephen and 
Elisha, ran it jointly during the war. Elisha Davis 
was a Tory and secretly ground grain for the British 

[303] 



OTHER DAYS IX (iREEXWICH 

fleet ly'inu; in the Sound. Stephen Davis remained 
loyal and at the end of the war the State of Con- 
neetient. hein^- able to eonviet Eli.slui Da\ is of liis 
offense, eonflscated liis property, wliieh eonstituted 
the undivided lialf of tlie niilL 

Afterwards, by an aet of the General Assembly 
and in conformity with tlie treaty of peace with Great 
Britain, Stephen Davis bouo-ht back the share wliich 
had been taken from his brother and for many peace- 
ful years thereafter the wheel went round with every 
tide for the convenience of the people and the profit 
of Stephen Davis. 

For more than a century thereafter, the white- 
aproned miller that Hfted the sacks of grain in at 
the old Dutch door and passed back the meal into 
the waiting ox cart, was a Davis. 

Ste])hen Davis was laid at rest with, his father on 
tile hillside, in the woods just north of the railroad 
and was followed by his sons and his grandsons, all 
millers. There was Silas, Walter the "Commodore," 
Henry and last of all, Edward, who died in the winter 
of 1891. 

He loved the old mill l)ut he realized that its end 
had come and the day before the demolition began 
he went all through it in his half blindness. He 
passed his hands over the girders and the floor timbers 
and stroked the long shingles as tliough tliey were 
creatures of life and knew him and realized the ])art- 
ing hour. The warming pan, the old brass andiron.s 
and the ancient clock of his forefathers were all in 

[804] 



THE OLD MILL AT DAVIS LANDING 

the mill, but were taken out with tender care and not 
long since I saw the clock, now more than two hundred 
years old, still ticking the time away in. the shop of 
Henry Schifferdecker. 

Although the old mill is gone, all the surroundings 
are much as they were fifty years ago. The winding 
road with the wayside well, the picturesque walls, 
the granite bowlders, nuiss-covered and overgrown 
with stunted cedars and climbing vines, the bold and 
wooded shores up and down the creek all lend a charm 
to Da^'is I^anding that the removal of the old mill 
has not effaced. 



[305] 



CHAPTER XXIX 

THE ANCIENT HIGHWAYS 

THK highway commissioner, I^eon H. Peck, says 
there are about one hundred and seventy-five 
miles of public ways and streets in Greenwich. 

During the last half century they have increased 
in small proportion to the growth of the town. The 
map of Greenwich, from a survey made in October, 
1757, and April, 1773, a copy of which appears in 
Spencer P. ^Mead's history, shows practically the 
same highways that are in use to-day. 

As a boy and youth I was familiar witli all the 
roads. JNIany of the ohl landmarks have disap- 
jjeared; tlie dirt road has been changed to macadam; 
grades have been altered; ancient stone walls have 
been sacrificed to the greed of the house builder and 
curves have been eliminated to accommodate the 
swift moving motor car. 

I like to think of tliem as they were in other days, 
although we are not without artistic and beautiful 
higliways. But fifty years ago all our roads ran 
between ancient walls of granite bowlders, softened 
with the moss of a century and overrun with creep- 
ing vines. The stone fences were one of tlie prettiest 
features of an afternoon drive. They were as 

[306] 



THE ANCIENT HIGHWAYS 

crooked in their winding as the track of an adder. 
They were strangely irregnlar in shape; some low 
and some high; some of small stones and some of 
massive howlders. 

Many of them would have fallen to the ground hut 
for the tenacious grasp of the ivy that ran in and out 
the fissures of the rock and held them like the strong- 
est mortar. Some of them were so buried beneath 




WOODSl',^ KOAD 

the foliage th.at only here and there was revealed 
a glimpse of their mossy surface. It was hard to 
believe that they were the creation of man, and not 
the wild growth of nature. 

3Iany of the roads were shaded and some of them 
were typical "woodsy roads" where the maiden hair 
fern would rustle against the spokes of the wheels 
and the overhanging chestnuts brush against the 
carriage top. 

The farmhouses all had a look of prosperity. 
The massive chimneys were the style of a century 

[307] 



oriiKU DA^'s i>: (;hi:kx\\ K'li 

before, when the great open firephiee was tlie only 
method of heating- the house. Some ol' the tields 
were rugged witli roeks. 'Vhv ])l()\vnian would 
dodge between the ledges and baek and go ahead 
again with i)ei'reet inchff'erenee. Tile soil was sweet 
and warm l)etween the roeks and tlie liai'xest always 
abundant. 

The houses were never eonneeted, hv woodsheds. 




liOL'XI) 1111.1, W()()l)Slli:i) 

witli tlie barns, as in Xew Hampshire and in many 
parts of ^lassaebusetts. The snow has never pre- 
vailed sufficiently in tliese parts to warrant such a 
construction of farm buildings that a fire in one of 
them means certain destruction to all. 

The woodshed was usually a feature among the 
farm l)uildings, although at points near the village 
it had often been degraded into a storehouse for 
})roken down farm implements, among which the 
hens would steal their nests and hatch their young, 
out of season and in open defiance. For what 

[308] 



THE ANCIENT HIGHWAYS 



farmer's boy would hunt for eggs between the rusty 

knives of (hscarded mowing machines^ But in the 

northern part of the town the woodshed continued 

to perform its 

(hity of a century 

earher. In the 

fall and earl\- 

wintei' it was 

piled to the rooC 

w i t h seasoning 

hickory and ap- 

l)le tree wood and 

its perfume was 

easily detected. 

As the shades of 

evening came on 

one could see the 

thin line of wood 

smoke from the 

great chimney 

and often the 

odor of flap- i acks 

came out at the 

half open door. 

The (Greenwich farmers always lived well. I used 

to note the l)ee skips about the back yard and the 

milk cans upon pegs in the cleansing sunlight. 

There were vegetable gardens, apple orchards and 

melon ])atches. Rows of INIason jars in the pantry 

told of how they had everything "in season and out." 

[309] 




ISAAC HOWE MEAD 

Snapshot by Nelson B. Mead 

18;23-1889 



OTHER DAYS IN GRKEXWKII 



Tn otluT (lays tlic walk to Cos Col) was over the 
Post Koad unless one avoided the dust in summer 
and the mud in winter hy going- "aeross lots" from 
Davis Landing over the dam and through tlie Isaac 
Howe Mead farm, now Hruee Park. In laying out 
Hruee I'ark eare was taken to preserve all the natural 
and rustie features of the plaee, hut the remo\al of 

the old stone fences and 
the construction of invit- 
ing drives has taken away 
all the seclusion that its 
former inaccessibility as- 
sured. 

South of the Isaac 
How e Mead farm was the 
farm (jf Charles ]Mead, 
usually known as Mead's 
Point, for it has a magnif- 
icent watei' front. It had 
yielded hay and grain to successive generations of 
jMeads. The ancestral home stood not far from the 
present house owned hy liis sons, AVhitman S. Mead 
and Charles X. JNIead. The old house, which was su- 
])ei'se(led by the new house longer ago than 1 can re- 
memhc]', had Dutch doors and a hrick oven which 
told something of the family life of those who lived 
there more than a century ago. I^ike all Greenwich 
farms, it liad its potato cellar and once on the key- 
stone of its arch 1 dug the moss from the words 
"Noah Mead, 1812." The marks of the chisel re- 

[310] 




CHARLES MlvM) 

1S1:}-1S98 



THE ANCIENT HIGHWAYS 



vealed tlie hand of a boy who like the boys of to-day 

had left his name and the date for future generations 

to read. The same boy ; 

lived to honored manhood 

and died at the age of 

seventy-seven. 

Isaac Howe Mead lived 
in the first brick house 
built in Greenwich. It 
stood near the road in 
front of the present home 
of William H. Truesdale. 
Along the lane, for the 
road was scarcely more, 
where this house stood, the oaks are very old and tln-ifty 
and even in these days artists find many a subject 




EDWARD MEAD 

1809-188,5 



y 





I'.DW Mil) .Ml'.AD HOMI STI-.AI) 
J5uilt 18:i;2 

for their brush. Cos Cob harbor and the Sound are 
in plain sight and to the northwest one could look 
across the fields and over the tree tops, now w^ithin 

[311] 



OTIIKU DAYS IX GREENWICH 

tlk- (.'iK'losurc of Milhaiik. lo the village with its tall 
c'hini'h spire. 

•Just north of the Isaae Howe INIead house, on t]ie 
same I'oad, was a s(iiiai'e ^vhite house still standing'. 




JOSEPH BRUSH 
1T9;?-187() 

})ut now suri-ounded hy other dwellino's which was 
the home of Lyman Mead. He was ])rominent in 
town affairs foi- many years, and a memher of the 
I^egi statu re. 

A little farther alon<>-. through a i-oad that retains 

[312] 



THE AXCIEXT HIGHWAYS 

all of its former beauty, is the old Post Koad at Cos 
Cob. Opposite the juiietioii of these roads stands 
one of the old-time mansions, with its four great 
ehimnevs and its ehaste and artistie front donr im- 




JOSKPH BKlSil il().\ii:Sl i; \i) 111 l!,i IN liN, MIDDLE OF 
THE EIGHTEENTH CEXTL'KY 

This house and the Ephraini I.ane, James Waring, and Roliert Clark 
houses were the homes at one time of fifty-three children. In the 
Brush Homestead were horn all of the fourteen children in the familv 
with the exception of Amos, the eldest, who was born in Horseneck 

mortalized by Xutting, the artist. It bears the date, 
18.32. The home of Edward Mead, for many years 
it was the center of the social life of earlier days 
when all the children were there to join in the merry 
times that cannot be forgotten. There is only one 
Cos Cob in the world, and that is our Cos Cob. 

[313] 



OTHER DAYS IX (;kp:exwicii 

A few years ai>() some one — perlia])s moi'e than 
on.e — eoneeived the idea of ehangin*^' tlie name of 
Cos Coh to Bayport. An ap])heati()n was made to 
the Post Ofhce Department, and the name of tlie office 




llOM.^' IXX, cos COB 

was aetnally changed to the very common name of 
Bayport. But, fortunately, the raih'oad company 
declined to change the name of the station. The 
school authorities clung to the old name for the district 
and poor little Bayport was only six feet S(juare, 
heing a small part of a small room, where the resi- 
dents of Cos Coh went for their daily mail. 

There are two very old I'esidences in the center of 
Cos Coh and once there was an old tide mill. The 
mill, when it was destroyed l)y fire January 28, 1899, 
was one of the oldest ])uildings in town. The two old 

[314] 



THE ANCIENT HIGHWAYS 

residences are on opposite sides of the road, the one 
on the east side being the Josepli Brush liomestead 
which b.as long since been abandoned as a dwelling. 
The one on the west, belonging to ]Mrs. Edward P. 




1 ALLS XKAR THE OLD ROLLLVCi MILL 

Holly, is a popular inn. Within its walls are many in- 
teresting pieces of antique furniture. The shining 
brass knocker, on the broad front door, the diminutive 
window panes, the steep pitch of the rear roof and 
the massive chimney all tell their story of the long 
ago. 

It is said that artists enjoy this inn and ]Mr. Hobart 
B. Jacobs tells me that he knows of no better oppor- 
tunity for the use of pencil or brush than amid the 

[315] 



OTIIKH DAYS I\ (IKKKXWICH 

siirr()Uii(lin_L>s of Cos Col). 'I'ln' old iiiill was a study 
in itself and many a picture lias hem dfawii ol" its 
open dooi" with tlu' orist-iadcn inillci' within and the 
I'oaniinn' water hclow. that had "giound tlie _ni"ist and 
will ncNcr tui'n tlie wheel again." 

An odd kind of a mill is a tide mill, for it will not 




i:lkaxah mead homkstkad 

grind except at the ebb of the tide, and to take it 
at the ebl) tlie miller must ofttimes work at the mid- 
night hour. 

Nearl)y was the Palmer cSc Duff shi])yard. How 
many years it was the center of activity at Cos Cob! 
The click of the shi]) carpenter's lianimer and the 
smell of oakum will never de])art from my memoi-y. 

Cxoing north from Cos Cob, the Cognewaugh Road 
always had its attractions. It was narrow and 
crooked aiul the hills were steep. The trees bung- 
low and the tangled vines grew close to the track 
of the wlieels. It was along such a road that one 
would ex])ect to tind abandoned farms, but there were 

[31 (i] 



THE AXCIEXT HIGHWAYS 

never any such farms in Greenwich. There were, 
however, a numher of abandoned houses and on more 
than one occasion I found a spot where a house had 
sometime stood and nothing remained but a gnarled 
cherry tree and an overgrown hlac bush, rehcs of 
the front dooryard. The locust trees grew on that 
road and in the spring the 
air was heavy with the 
fragrance of their blos- 
soms. 

Near some of the aban- 
doned houses were piles 
of locust, in lengths for 
posts, looking old and 
storm-beaten as though 
they had been entirely 
forgotten an.d had no 
value. Years ago — more than fifty — these small 
places were occupied by operatives in the rolling mill 
long ago abandoned. 

The Cognewaugh Road enters the Xorth Cos Cob 
Road, not far from the little settlement, with school- 
house and church that once went by the name of 
Dingletown, ^Jt-rhaps because the cow bells were so 
often heard in that neighborhood. Xot far away 
was the home of Elkanah ^lead. It was a great 
white house visible for half a mile down the road. 
Here he lived for forty-eight years. He saw his 
children, that were spared, grow u]) to honor and 

[317] 




ELKANAH MEAD 

1S1S-1S91. 



OTHER DAYS IX (;KKKXU KIT 

cherish liim in liis (Ifchiiino- years. I low miicli of 
joy and sori'ow came to liini in this home! So much 
tliat it made liim tlie sweet-tempered and genial okl 
man that evei'vone loved and respected. 

Tile heauty of (xreenwieh is in its valleys as well 
as its hills. There is much life and \\armth hidden 
in the meadows and hy the hrooksides. And in 
other days most of the farmers appreciated the 
heauties of nature. It is true they were living in 
houses, huilt hy earlier o-enerations. who had had no 
time to look heyond the hay field. In many instances 
magnificent views had heen ohstructed hy planting 
apple orchards or hy the erection of harns and out- 
huildings, when perhaps a hundred acres more de- 
sirahle for such purpose had heen left open for culti- 
vation. But they were always quick to admit the 
mistake and to point out the prominent knolls on the 
farm, where a view could be obtained and where, in 
many instances, have since heen built tine residences 
for city people who ap])reciate the country. 

One of these is Benjamin T. Fairchild, who bought 
the sightly Caleb W. ^Nlerritt home at North Green- 
wich years before the automobile had made the place 
accessible and furnished it throughout with Colonial 
furniture. He may drive or ride one of liis tine 
horses across to Round Hill, but his automobile, 
never. Down in that deep valley, ap])roached by a 
tortuous road, runs the infant Byram roaring over 
the rocks of an ancient millsite. Here in Revo- 
lutionary days the military operations in Westchester 

[318] 



THE ANCIENT HIGHWAYS 

County and in Western Connecticut were conceived 
and planned. 

The old mill, which long ago disappeared, was the 
meeting place of the Generals and on one occasion 
in 1781 Washington himself was present to advise 
and encourage. 

Round Hill was always a fascinating place. It 
was so quiet, so rural, 
so peaceful. Perhaps to- 
day it has as many attrac- 
tions as in the past, hut 
they are not (piite tlu- 
same. Grand mansions, 
h e a u t i f u 1 lawns, tall 
fences and formidahle 
gateways o c c u p y the 
places of many old houses 
with well-sweeps in the 
yards and the simple latch 
gates that led out to the 
road. In tlie early morning hours the salty, pungent 
odor of the sea-marsh, seven miles away, has often 
been borne to my nostrils by a favorable wind. 

Perhaps Saturday night in Round Hill was no 
different from other weekday nights and yet some- 
times as I drove through that quiet hamlet there ap- 
peared evidences that the week's w^ork had terminated 
differently from that of other nights. The farmer 
bo^^s had tidied up the side-bar buggy and the silver- 
mounted harness, preparatory to the Sunday drive 

[319] 




C" H I' H C H A T NOR T H 
CJltEEXWICH DESTROYKD 
BY FIRE DEC. 15, 1895 



OTHER DAYS IX GREP^XWICH 

with theii" best girls. The carriage liouse doors were 
still open, while the |)()()1 of water hy the grassy wash- 
stand, the mhhei- hoots and the water-soaked overalls 




ODLE C. KXAPP 

1815-1888 

dripping on their pegs told their own story. Round 
Hill was a village with a store, a post othee and a 
hill of the same name. To see the hill in all its glory 
one must aseend it at high, noon of a elear Oetoher 
day and look at the horizon of foi'est, farms and water 
in one grand sweeping circle. It is now the prop- 
ei'ty of the banker, William Stewart Tod. hut once 

[320] 



THE ANCIENT HIGHWAYS 

eight acres on the summit belonged to Frederick 
Bonner, one of the sons of Robert Bonner, of Phila- 
delphia Ledger fame. 

Fred Bonner was the chum of Alexander Taylor, 
Jr., and once, when on the latter's steam yacht, Sky- 
lark, cruising in the Sound he saw through the glasses 
Round Hill with its single apple tree at the apex. 
Tm-ning to Taylor he said, "Alex, do you see that 
land that lies nearer to Heaven than any other in 
sights I want to buy it." And within a month it 
was liis. 

The old store at Round Hill stood on the west side 
of the road, in those days, but since it has been 
moved across the way. It belongs to Nathaniel A. 
Knapp, but the name "O. C. Knapp" over the door 
has looked the same since tlie son was a baby boy, 
making mud pies with his })rothers and sisters in the 
little pools about the hitching posts. 



[321] 



CHAPTER XXX 

BELI.K HAVEN 

RECURRING finally to the farms which consti- 
' tuted rural Greenwich half a century ago, the 
Nelson Bush farm, now Belle Haven, comes naturally 
to mind. In 18S2 this farm was jjut on the market 
at forty thousand dollars. George H. and Henry 
Dayton bought six acres of it for $().0()(), which 
l)rought the price of the balance down to $.34, ()()(). 
Subsequently the Belle Haven Land Co. paid that 
amount to the Bush heirs and acquired tlie land. A 
tract of twelve acres was also purchased of Augustus 
I. :Mead for $12,000, located about where the Hackett 
Day, AVilbur S. Wright, Thompson and Tyler cot- 
tages stand. This made the total original cost of 
Belle Haven, ])efore any improvements were made, 
about $4(),000. (juite small compared to the price of 
$150,000. paid for the D. Smith oNIead farm in 1907. 
I visited the ground with alxnit a dozen ])r()spective 
stockholders early in the spring of 1888. No finer 
day could have been selected for the purpose. There 
was just a reminiscence of winter in the air and the 
soiled snow lay in ridges along the north side of the 
stone walls. But tlie sun was warm and the twittei" 
of the ])luebir(ls and the joyful whistle of the meadow 
lark, the first of all our song birds, could l)e heard 

[322] 



BELLE HAVEN 

across the fields. The matter of the purchase was 
practically settled that day and Belle Haven, the first 
residence park that Greenwich ever had. was an as- 






NELSOX BUSH 

1800-1875 

sured fact before the cheery trees had blossomed. 
Before this, land had been divided into buildino- plots 
such as Rocky Xeck, but this was the first land specu- 
lation that could really claim th.e name of a residence 
park. In 1882 all the land now included in Belle 
Haven exceptino' the William H. ^IcCord property 

[82.3] 



OTHER DAYS IX GRKKXWK H 

and about forty acres besides, was assessed for town 
taxes at $15,490, yielding an annual tax of $19.*3.(5-2. 
The taxes now paid by the various owners at Belle 
Haven amount to many thousand dollars. The 
men wlio bravely took up the Belle Haven enterprise 
saw many dark days and in 1885, '8(5 and '87 the sales 
were slow and expenses heavy. There were mo- 
ments, perhaps, when they wished they had taken 
pronounced views against farm land on that spring 
day in 1883. 

Capt. Thomas ^layo, Nathaniel Witherell and 
Robert ]M. Bruce were among the pioneers in the 
Belle Haven scheme. It is interesting to think of 
Belle Haven, when it was an open farm many years 
ago. Once I knew an old man who gave his personal 
recollections of the place as it appeared early in the 
last century. On the Byram side of Belle Haven 
was what was known as the Banks lands, consisting 
of 29 acres, and after the park was quite well built up, 
it was bought of Nelson B. Mead for $9,000. This 
occurred in January, 1889. It was shortly after this 
that I had an interview with the old man and his 
recollections are as follows: 

"I enjoyed going down there as early as 1820, 
"when Samuel Bush owned what is now tlie upper 
"portion of the park. JNIy recollection of the old 
"gentleman is very distinct. Never a great talker, 
"he possessed plenty of ideas and the (juaint origi- 
"nality with which they were expressed, made it worth 
"all it cost to get them. When alone he said but 

[324] 



BELLE HAVEN 

"little, but when I lured him up to Deacon Abraham 
"Mead's or down to John Banks' he would talk, 
"esj^ecially if he got onto the subject of Obadiah 
"Banks' will. Obadiah was the father of nine chil- 
"dren, all of whom grew to full age, and in the early 
"years of the nineteenth centiu-y lived in that part of 
"Belle Haven purchased of Nelson B. ^lead. The old 
"man died in 1790. He had been personally inter- 
"ested in the Revolutionary war, and the flint-lock 
"gun that hung above the mantel had been his pride. 
"His son, John Banks, and the widow, Elizabeth, 
"never removed it, and I used to see it just as it hung 
"when its owner's silent form was carried out of the 
"narrow south door for its last resting place. Well, 
"Obadiah's will was always an interesting topic for 
"Sam Bush and Deacon Abraham INIead. Sam never 
"liked it. He used to say that Obadiah's w^idow 
"was altogether too restricted in her rights to the 
"farm, and that wh.en he made his will he would pro- 
"vide that his widow should have the use of all his 
"farm for twenty-one years after his death. And 
"that is exactly what he did when he came to make his 
"will along in corn-husking time in 1826. But he 
"used to complain to the Deacon that the widow Banks 
"had too liberal a dower in the use of the house and 
"barn whicli Deacon ]Mead had set out to her in the 
"following language: 

" 'The one-third part of the dwelling house, being 
"the west room, w^ith the chamber above said room 
"and one-third part of the cellar, with the privi- 

[325] 



OTHER DAYS IX GREENWICH 

"lege of tl^.e entry and eliamher staii-.s to go to and 
''from said elianiher. and to hake in the oven: also 
"the one-third i)art of the harn heing the west hay, 
"with the lihertv of the floor to eai-t in and thron»>'h-' 

"Sam thonght that the mother and girls eould 
"manage tlieir nnity of interest in the oven, hut that 
"when a sudden shower was coming up and the widow 
"and her sons, Ben, Daniel, John and Joshua, were 
"each getting in their hay, on their respective parcels, 
"they were all likely to get a load to the harn at the 
"same time and in the strife for the 'liherty of the 
"floor' the hay might get wet. It was certainly a 
"small harn for all that was expected of it, and I 
"felt a little sorry to hear that it was torn_ down last 
"week. Sam Bush at times would tell us of his hoy- 
"hood days and how, in tlie summer evenings, he used 
"to sit hy Ohadiah's west door, and count the potato 
"laden sloops sail down the Sound. Pie thought a 
"wonderful sight of Ohadiah's children, the oldest of 
"whom was (juite grown, hut the little tow-headed 
"ones were a merry lot and they were in and out at 
"the door, oft' to tlie harn and hack, across the knoll 
"to the shore, singing and laughing like school chil- 
"dren at recess. 

"When winter came and the snow fell deep in the 
"Field Point Road and drifted across the lane, Dea- 
"con Ahraham ^lead's hoys, Isaac and Zophar, ac- 
"com]}anie(l ])y the Ranks l)()ys with their ox team, 
"would join forces in hreaking the roads. After 
"the work was done and the evening chores at the 

[326] 



BELLE HAVEN 

"harii accomplished, how natural it was for the boys 
"to retrace their steps over the newly beaten track 
"to Obadiah's home, where the glow of the great open 
"fire filled the south room and shone out of the win- 
"dows across the snow% to where the tide had tumbled 
"the ice against the scarred and seamed rocks along 
"the shore. 

"The striped cider mug on the shelf, the apple 
"basket and the pop corn bag, were not greater at- 
"tractions to them than the merry girls gathered in 
"a half circle about the hearth. 

"I remember well just how the old Banks home- 
"stead looked, both without and within. In the cor- 
"ner cupboard of the south room was the best blue 
"china, that made a beautiful array, and so precious 
"that to-day the few pieces that remain would almost 
"bring their weight in silver. Their odd but grace- 
"ful shapes were decorated with historic scenes, of 
"which I recall Washington crossing the Delaware, 
"th.e siege of Yorktown and the landing of Columbus. 
"One could eat veal pie and study history at the same 
"time. 

"Near the china cupboard was a square mahogany 
"clock, trimmed with brass, that has long outlived 
"its owner, for in a certain office in the village it still 
"ticks the time away. Upstairs, the great canopied 
"bedsteads were piled high with feathers, and the 
"small windows were curtained with the most delicate 
"shades of chintz. There were two picture mirrors 
"that hung on the wall; one of exquisite design and 

[327] 



OTHKU DAYS 1\ CaiEENWICH 

"workniaiiship, represent int>' tlie fierce marine stru<>'- 
"ole ])etween the frigates Gucrriere and Constitution 
"in tile war of 1812. 

"Tlie Coiislil iitioii on even keel, lier fla,ys flying, 
"but her sails riven with shot, was flring with terrible 
"effect upon the hapless Guerricre lying almost upon 
"her beam ends, with her foremast gone by the 
"board, and her severed shrouds hanging over the bul- 
"warks. 

"Sam Bush bought the mirror in New York in 
"1813 for his neighbor, Thomas Hobby, and after ]Mr. 
"Hob])y\s death John Banks bought it at a vendue. 
"The other mirror was much older, but more crude 
"in design and workmanship. It represented a girl 
" — a grotesque httle thing — with a basket on her arm 
"and her forefinger in her mouth. Her rosy clieeks 
"and red boots were of the same tint and she stood 
"out against a yellow background and beneath a 
"scarlet canopy. 

"For more than twenty-five years after Obadiah 
"died, his son, John Banks, occupied the old 
"homestead, but his brothers Dan, Joshua, Ben and 
"their sister Elizabeth from time to time sold their 
"lands to Deacon Abraham ^lead, till finally in 18'25, 
"after the deacon had died, John Banks sold the home- 
"stead to Isaac ]Mead, the son of Abraham ^Nlead and 
"the grandfather of Nelson B. ^Nlead." 

Just as the old man gave me these facts, with here 
and there some verbal clianges and the occasional 
insertion of a date, I have written them. As I sat 

[328] 



BELLE HAVEN 

listening- to the story I could see him close his eyes 
as though visions of the past filled his mind. With 
the present he showed no sympatliy, and expressed no 
interest except as it pointed to the past and to those 
who had gone before. 

In his anticipations of the future he again saw liis 




XKI.SOX BLSIl HOMKSTKAI) 
Belle Haven 

old neighbors. He rememliered them as patient, in- 
dustrious, sober. Their hours of enjoyment, aside 
from tliose given to tlie cultivation of tlie soil, which 
was their life, were few. Their integrity was pro- 
verbial and their confidence in tlie honesty and purity 
of their fellow men. mdimited. Sentiment and af- 
fection in. their natures were not so much lacking as 
the ability or disposition to express them. 

[329] 



OTITEU DAYS IX GKEKXWKII 

A sturdy, honest, reputable race were tliey of 
whom their deseeiulaiits may well be proud and whose 
sterling qualities very generally have descended to 
the preseut generation. 




THE END 



[330] 



IXDEX 



IXDEX 



Acker, Abraham, -20, 215 

Acker, Peter. :?0; garden and 

homestead of. 23. 122, 153 
Acker, William, drums up recruits, 

130 
Adams, Samuel, 5 
Aiken, Dr. James, 19, 115 
Allen, David K., property of, i?S9 
Allen Brothers, garage of, :?67 
Allaire Engines, used in marine 

service, :306, 207 
Americm Club. ISO. 181, 18f?, 1S4, 

187, 188, 189, 194; members of. 

63, 199, 200, 301, i?03, 205, 207. 

214 
Amogorone, 281 
Andrews, Benjamin, 258 
Andrews, (Mrs.) Mar^- E.. prop- 
erty of, 94- 
Andrews, Chief Justice, sitting in 

trial. Mead will case, opinion 

of, 50 
Anderson, Walter M., property of. 

155 
Anderson, (Mrs.) A. A., propert^- 

of, 202 
Andrade, Joseph D. C. 200 
Apples, become a product of 

Greenwich farms. 83 
Apartment houses, Italian, 32 
Arch Street, 26. 117 
Ardendah Sanitarium. 226 
Artisans, Port Chester, emploved 

in Greenwich, 23 
Asten, Peter. 264 
Athelcroft. 94 
Atwater, Jeremiah W., 282, 284 



Bailey. (Mrs.) Henry M.. 106 
Baker, Edwin H., residence of. 248 
Balloon frame building, projection 

of causes comment, 122 
Banks, Benjamin, 326, 328 
Bank*. Daniel. 326, 328 



[333] 



Banks, (Mrs.) Elizabeth, 325, 328 

Banks, John, 44. 325, 326, 328 

Banks, (Mrs.) John H., 296 

Banks, Joshua. 326, 328 

Banks, Obadiah. homestead of, 
325, 326, 327; will of, 325, 326 

Banks" Homestead, built by Oba- 
diah Peck, 158 

Banksville, 61, 117 

Banksville stage, connecting link 
with Greenwich, 61 

Baptistrv, donated hv Wm. M. 
Tweed. 1869, 223 

Barber, .\maziah D., 200 

Barker. James, 200 

Barnard, George G., 167, 200 

Barnum, Henry A., 200 

Barnard. JohnT., 199 

Barrow's Point. 213 

Bars, imknown in Greenwich. 21 

Bassford. Edward D.. 199 

Bathhouse. The Tweed, 190, 193 

Bayport. 314 

Beck, Frank S. E., 200 

Bedford. 2^2 

Bedford. Gunning S., 200 

Bedford stage, stopped at Stan- 
irich Inn. 66 

BeU. (Mrs.) Alfred. 106 

Belle Haven. 322, 32,3. 324; objec- 
tion of residents to extension 
of shore road, 44 

Belle Haven Land Co., propertv 
of. 322 

Belle Haven Park. 205 

Benedict, (Miss) Belle, 12 

Benedict, Elias C, residence of, 
184 

Benedict, Henry M.. 8, 12, 119. 241, 
268; residence of. 155. 158; se- 
cures widening of Greenwich 
.\ venue. 120 

Benedict Place. 12, 13 

Benson, Oliver D.. 139 

Berrien, Daniel, 200 



INDEX 



iJetts, Joiiii s., lyy 

liig Six \'i)hinteer Fire Co., Ki.), 

lil;u-k Republicans, ahoiitioiiists sd 

ealied, 1J.5 
lilac-kwell's Island, Win. .M. Tweed 

sent to, ■2-2S 
lilack Walinit Tree, tiie old, JjO 
Hleaklev, Andrew, -200 
Blcaklev, Andrew, Jr., 200 
Uonnett, (Mrs.) A. Leta, (i(i 
Bonner, Frederick, property of, 

321 
Borrows, -William B., 300 
lioswell, Henry C, property of, 94 
Boulders, The, home of ' E. B. 

Close, 76 
Boyle, Edward, 199 
BoVle, James W., 300 
Brady, Henry, 138 
Brady, Stephen, 138 
Braisted, Peter D., 199 
Brennan, Matthew T., 300 
Brennan, Owen W., 199 
Brice, John, 300 
Brinekerhoff, Captain Abraham, 

183, 187, 303, 306, 361 
lirookside Drive, 74 
Brothers' Brook, 16, 300 
Brown, (Mrs.) F. Kissam, prop- 
erty of, 9,> 
Brown," Martin B., 300 
Britce Park, 16, 310 
Bruee, Robert M., 337, 364, 368, 

334 
Bruce, (Miss) Sarah, 237 
Brush, Amos M., 19, 115, 243 
lirush, S. Augustus, 131 
lirush, Charles, property of, 66 
Brush, Edward, ))roi)erty of, 2.')\ 
Brush, Henry L., 33, 131 
Brush, Joseph, 17, 18, 3,5, 115, 341; 

homestead of, 315 
Brush, (Mrs.) Jose])h, 106 
Brush, S. A., 33 
Bru.sh, Shadrach M., 106; j)ro])erty 

of, 131 
Brush, Shubel, granddaughters of, 

66; ])roperty of, (Hi 
I5rush, William, ])roperty of. Mi 
Buchanan, James, Pres. V. S. A., 

18, 135 
Buckley, Justin R., 367 
Buffett, Rev. Piatt, 248 
Buffett, (Mrs.) Piatt. 346 
Bullard, John A., 31 



Burying ground, the I)a\is, 57, (iO 

Burke, Dr. William, 7 

Barnes, Judge Charles D., prop- 
erty of, 74 

Burns, Dennis, 300 

Burns, Erastus, 137 

Burns, James, 137 

Bush, Nelson, farm of, 305, 333 

Bush, Rebecca, 3 

Bush, Samuel, 335, 336, 338; ]>ro])- 
erty of, 334 

Bush, William, 3, 5 

Butt, George W., 199 

Buttermilk Falls, tract so called, 
91 

Button-ball Trees, the old, 153 

Button, (Mrs.) Julia A., 105 

Button. Philander, 105, 194, 307; 
farm of, 1. 86, 194 

Button, Philander (Mrs.), 106 

Byficld Road, the, 391 

Byram, 37, 304, 334 

Byram Point, 37, 304; rural con- 
dition of, 38 

Byram Riyer, 30, 318 

Cameron, Charles, 236 

Canary, Thomas, 300 

Cajitain's Island, lighthouse on, 
183 

Cardo/.a, Albert. 1()7 

Carnochan, John M., 300 

Central Park, Tweed statue pro- 
posed for, 333 

Chamberlain, John C, attorney in 
Mead will case, 48, 49 

Chamlierlain, John F., 300 

Chajiman. John D.. owner of 
Round Island, 45 

Charlock, John T.. 199 

('Iwrriirdlc. Recreation Home for 
Working Girls at, 85 

ChimiK'i/ft. the, 94 

Chimney Corner, the, 184, 303 

Choate," Joseph H., 339 

Christensen, Carla, artist, ,31 

Cristy, Moses, 368 

Cri.sty, (Mrs.) Moses, 106 

City "island, 181 

Clark, Dr. J. A., home of, 14 

Clark, (Mrs.) Lockwood P.. 106 

Clancy, Lawrence, 199 

Close," Allen H., 90 

Close, E. B. owner of the "Bould- 
ers." 76 

Close, Jonathan A., 359 



[334] 



INDEX 



Close, Samuel, 18, 3,5, 37, 93 

Coasting, favorite place for, 1:31 

Cogiiewaugh Road, 316, 317 

Cohen, Ma\er H., 235; property 
of, 121," 23S 

Collier, James W., 200 

Colonial Tavern, Mead's, 244 

Columbia, District of, compared in 
size with Greenwich, 25 

Company I, Tenth Conn. Vohm- 
teers, first to go to war, 130, 
133, 137 

Committee of Seventy, work of, 
161, 174, 176, 229 ' 

Congregational Church, old, 19; 
first edifice, 112; second edi- 
fice 1730, 112; third edifice 
1798, 112; burning of 1866, 115 

Connolly, Richard B., 167, 169, 
173*, 175 

Cooney, William, residence of, 98 

Cook, Ada M., property of, 155 

Cixtper, William, associate of 
David Mason, 247 

Copperheads, Southern syin])athiz- 
ers called, 125 

Cornell, Charles G., 199, 264 

Corson, Cornelius, 199 

Cos Cob, 17, 25, 26, 54, 88, 204, 
225, 226, 229, 231, 310, 313, 
314, 316; Harbor, 311; River, 
300 

Coulter, James E., 200 

Courtney, (Miss) Hannah, prop- 
erty of, 154, 155, 156 

Cozine, John R., 2 

Crabs, found at old White Bridge, 
60 

Cres-t Vieir. sale of, 94 

Cramer Building, 8 

Creamer. Tliomas J.. 201 

Cuddy, Edward, 200 

Curtis, Julius B., attorney for H. 
M. Benedict, 19, 120, 134 

Daly Building, 274 

Dam, the old, 12, 14, 16 

Dandi/, horse owned by Judge 

Mead, 34 
Danes, pojudation in East Port 

Cliester, 31 
Danisii Clul) House, built by Milo 

Mead, 31 
Darrab, John, 213 
Davin, Edward A., 199 
Davis Avenue, 6, 7, 16, 197, 286 



Davis, Abraham B., 2, 5, 259; 

farm of, 1 
Davis' Creek, 54, 300 
Davis Cemetery, 57, 60 
Davis' Dock, origin of, 68; owned 

and held by Davis family, 69; 

litigation over ownership, 69, 

70, 71; jury in litigation over 

ownership, 71 ; witnesses called 

in suit over ownership of, 71 ; 

ownership of Walter Davis, 

sustained 1837, 70, 71 
Davis, Edward, 304 
Davis, Eleanor R., 6; estate of, 6, 

69 
Davis, Elisha, 303, 304 
Davis, Henry, 304 
Davis Landing, 2, 217, 310 
Davis Lane, 197 
Davis Mill, old, 57, 299, 300, 303, 

304, 305 
Davis, Judge Xoah, 176, 177, 227, 

228 
Davis Pond, 16 
Davis, Silas, 2, 258, 259, 304 
Davis, Stephen, 303, 304 
Davis, Thomas, 303 
Davis, Walter, 259, 304 
Davidson, John McB., 200 
Davison, William, 199 
Day, Hackett, residence of, 322 
Dayton, George H., property of, 

" 322 
Dayton, Henry, property of, 322 
Dayton, Jacob, Jr., 70 
Dayton, John, 22, 90 
Dayton, Mary F., property of, 238 
Dc'arfields, 2," 153 
Dearfield, built in 1799, 73; origin 

of name, 73 
Dearfield Drive, origin of name, 

73 
Deep Hole, 16 
Decker, William F., residence of, 

85 
Delano, (Mrs.) I,ucy M., 208 
Democratic Party, during war 

times, 125 
Dennis, (Mrs.) Mary, 263 
Denson, Frederick, property of, 18 
Denton, Humphrey, 252 
Deri)y, Silas, 61, 62; reminiscences 

of, 62. 63 
Dewey, S. Foster, secretary to 

Wm. M. Tweed, 194, 200 
Dewey, William C, 200 



[335] 



INDEX 



Dinioiul. James G., 201 
Diiifiletowii, so called, HIT 
Dodworth's Band. 209, 222 
Docks, Ihc Town, :i\ 
Dock, the Daniel Mcrritt, 117 
Doniinick, George F., 251; pro])- 

crty of, 41 
Doniinick, George F., Jr., 254 
Doininick, James W., 254 
Dominick. William, 254 
Donnelly, Patrick, 215 
Donoluie, Thomas, 200 
Donohue, William, 139 
Doiigan, (Mrs.) Amelia J., ]>ro)i- 

erty of, (iO 
Douglas, Frederick, 218 
Draw Bridge, the Cos Cob, 58, 59 
Duane Street, office of Tweed in, 

190 
Dunley, William B., 199 
Durnin, Eugene, 199 

East Putnam Avenue, 11, 153 

East River, the, 228 

Kdffcirood lull. 76 

E(l(/eir(io(J Park, 73, 76 

Edwards, E. Jay, writer for X. Y. 
Erenini/ Mail. 196 

Eidlitz, Leo))old, architect of Con- 
gregational Church. 100, 116 

Electric Light Co., office of, 193 

Elizabeth Xeck, 280 

Elliott, William, 274, 275, 277 

F^llsworth, Col., shooting of, 125 

Elm Street, 7, 14, 120, 286, 288, 
289 

Elmit, The, 154, 157 

Elphick, James, 230, 231 

Elten, Kruseman van, 200 

Elv, William E., 199 

Eiigine No. 10, 278 

Engine No. 27, 273 

Enlisting station, the wartime, 130 

Episcopal Church, Riverside, 284 

Ei)iscopalians, earlv, 27 

Execution Eight, 181, 213 

]-"arley, Terence, 199 

Farms, early imincumbered, 25 

Farm ]iroducts, 1859, 25; sent to 

N. Y., 26 
Farm produce, earh' sliip]>ers of, 

26 
Farmers, early Greenwich, 1, 2; 

average wealth in 1859 of, 25 



Fairchild, Benjamin T.. residence 
of, 318 

Feaks, (Mrs.) l-:ii/.al)etli, 2S() 

Feaks, John, 280, 281 

Felter, Henry D., 200 

Fennessy, J. H., ])roperty of, 153 

Ferris, Aaron P., i)ropcrtv of, 235, 
237 

Ferris, Jeifre, 280; homestead of, 
281 

F'erris, .loshua B., attornev Davis' 
Dock Suit, 71 

Ferris, Thomas H., 200 

Ferris, Wm. I>., 194 

Fessenden, Sanuiel, attornev in 
Mead will case, 46, 47, 49, 50 

Field Point, 111, 205, 256, 277; 
early settlers on, 38; originally 
common land, 37; centre of in- 
terest, 42; cultivation of, 41; 
sales of shore front, 53 

Field Point P<irk. part of original 
Oliver Mead Farm, 37 

Field Point Pasture, 263 

Field Point Road, 326 

Field Point s]>rings, 263 

Fields, Thomas C, 200 

Finch, David, 137 

Finch's Island, 182 

Finch, Jared, 137 

Finnev, B. Frank, 14 

First "Avenue, 286, 288 

First Presbyterian Church, 93 

P'isk, James, Jr., 200 

Fitz Gerald, Henrv M., 217 

Five Mile River, 203 

Flag pole, erected during wartime, 
126, 129, 139 

Fleming, Charles L., 200 

h'old. The, a home for children, 84, 
85 

Ford, John J., 199 

Fort Sumter, fired upon in Civil 
AVar. 125 

Frear, Alexander, 200 

Freight tonnage, early, 26 

Fresh Air Home, opened by Na- 
thaniel Witherell, 84 

Fmik, Augustus, 200 

]*"iinstoii, Thomas. 2()3 

Gansey, Solonio;! S.. 122, 286, 28T 
Garve'v, Andrew J., 199, 22(i 
Garvey, John, 200 
Genet," Harry, 222 
Georgi, .\doli)h E., 200 



[336] 



INDEX 



Golden, Ei)liraim, 70, 71 
Gordon, Rev. George A., D.D., 
jiastor of Second Cong. 
Chureli, 110, 111 
Gould, Jay, ^00 

Glenville, 2i4 ; woolen mills at, 31 
Glenville Road, divided Mead 

farms, 73 
Grafulla, Claudius S., 199 
Graham, (Miss) Cornelia J., 157 
Graham, John, chief counsel for 

Wm. M. Tweed, :319, 238 
Graham, (Miss) Mary E., 157 
Grand Jury indicts Wm. M. 

Tweed, 227 
Grant, the Justus Bush, 68, 69 
Great Hill, owned by Israel 

Knap]), 95 
Great Island, 256 
Greeley, Horace, 26i 
Green, Andrew H., 175, 176, 229 
Green Court Inn, 5 
Greenwich Academy, 195, 197, 207, 

220 
Greenwich Avenue, 7, 20, 22, 23, 
118, 123, 137, 219, 222, 233, 
242, 245, 249, 266, 267, 274, 
286; first purchase of land for 
business purjioses, 22; original 
widening of, 120 
Greenwich P^ire Department, 281 
Greenwich Hospital, 286; ])ro])ertv 

of, 154 
Greenwich Library, 8 
Greenwich. Mead's History of, 98 
Greenwich & Uye Steamboat Co., 

formed 1866', 207 
Greenwich Savings Bank. 22 
Greenwich Trust Co., building of, 

23, 122 
Grigg, John R., farm of, 32 
Grigg Street, 257 
Gurney, A., 184 
Gnion George, 288 
Gimibleton, James J., 200 

Hagerty, Edwin M., 199 
Hall, .\. Oakley, 167, 169, 174 
Hall, Charles H.. 181, 182, 183, 

187, 188, 189, 199 
Hall, Judge, hands down decision 

in Davis Dock litigation, 72 
Halsey, Schuyler, 200 
Hamilton Avenue, 32 
Hanan, John H., jirojierty of, 32 



[337] 



Hardenl)rook, (Miss) Lillie A., 

l)roi)erty of, 194, 195 
Harkness. L. \ ., pro{)erty of, 158 
Harnett, John H., 200 
llarpert!' Weekli/, 222 
Harrison, Jose]ih G., 200 
Harway, James I>., 200 
Harvey, Alex W., 200 
Havemeyer School, 6, 118 
Hawley, Charles, attorney Davis' 

Dock suit, 70, 285 
Hawthorne, origin of name, 31 
J I eld IJoiise. site of old jiottery 

plant, .38, 257 
Held, Henry, meat market of, 23, 

122, 123 
Hembold, Henry T., 200 
Hemlock Woods, 73, 74 
Henderson, John, market of, 20 
Hendrie, Charles, .Tr.. projierty of, 

284 
Hendrie, J. W., 284 
Hermance, Frank, 227 
Higgins, A. Foster, 220; pro])erty 

of, 98, 198 
Historians, local, X\'II 
Hitchman, William, 201 
Hobby, Cai>tain John, 153. 155 
Hobby, Husted, 259 
llohh'i/ Tarern. 153, 156 
Hobby, Tiiomas, 328; ]iro]ierty of, 

155 
Hoey, John, 264 
Hoey, (Mrs.) John, 264 
Hoffman, (leorge W., 229, 230, 231 
Hoffman, John T., Mayor of Xew 

York 1865, 167, 168 
Hogan, Edward, 199 
Hoggson, William H., residence of, 

253 
Holly, Edward P., 106 
Holly. (Mrs.) Edward P., 315 
Holly, Frank M., M.D., property 

of, 35, 37 
Holly, (Mrs.) Stephen, 106 
Holly, William H., 260 
irollt/ T nil. 315 
Holmes, Captain Caleb, 26 
Holmes, Caleb M., 139 
Holmes, (Mrs.) Caleb, 106 
Holmes, Frank, 21 
Holmes, Reuben, characteristics 

of, 96; property of, 95 
Holmes, Isaac, Jr., 252 
Homentend Half, origin of. 33 
Hook lands, the so called, 291 



INDEX 



llorsi' \cck, -'(i; origin of iKiiiie, 

:w 

Horse Ncik. llohhv jiropcrtv in, 
154 

Horse Neck lirook, 77; territory 
near, 37 

Horse Xeck l-'ii-ld I'oiiit, original 
name, SS 

Houses, number built and assessed 
up to 1H,59, -V) 

Howard, Henry Waring, 115 

Howe, (Mrs.) Xehemiaii, 10(5 

Howe, William A., KHi 

Hoyt, (Mrs.) Klizabetli H., 10() 

Hovt, George H.. :2m 

HoVt, Col. Heusted W. K., ;33, 194, 
' 2-25 

Hoyt, Dr. James H., 267, i268; de- 
livers farewell speeeh to Co. I, 
134 

Hubbard, Frederiek A., 236; home 
in 185f), 11 

Hubbard, Holly, 13T 

Hubbard, Jolni, 137 

Hubbard, L. P., 211, 26S; home- 
stead of, 157 

Hubbard, L. P., Jr., enlists in N. 
H. Regiment, 130 

Huelat, Henrv H., 199 

Hunt, J. Howland, 291 

Husted, William A., 259, 262 

Hyde, Clarence M., ])roperty of, 
94 

Hyde, Dr. F. C, projierty of, 90 

Hyde, Seymour J., property of, 
■ 41 ' 

Ice cream, sold in fish market, 23 
Ice house, first in town, 34 
Indian Chief's Throne, lan(hnark 

at Rocky Neck, 258 
Indian Field, Fresh Air Home at, 

84 
Indian Harbor, 124, 184, 194, 205; 

Mead Home at, 38 
Indian Harbor Hotel, 184 
Indian Harbor Point, 25() 
Indian Harbor Yacht Club, 26, 

2()1 , 
Ingersoll. James H., 174, 200 
Ingersolls', projierty of, (ifi 
Tiiiiix Ardcn. 280 
Iiislee. Cage, architect, 188 



Jackson, Josei)h A., 199 



Jackson. Piiilip N., 230 
Jacol)s, llol)art B., 315 
Jaynes Park. |)art of Griggs' farm, 

33 
Jerman, Cicorge, 1.38 
Jerman, William, 138 
Jerome Park, 218 
John Homer, the, 63, fi4, 20(i, 207, 

208, 209, 211, 212, 213, 214, 

215, 21() 
Johnson, William, solicits recruits 

with fife, 130 
Jones, Conductor, 277 
Jones, Edward, 199 
Jones, George, jnililisher of the 

A\ ¥. Times, 172, 173, 174 
Jones, James E., 200 
Jones, Dr. Leander P., 196, 236. 
Jones, Morgan, 199 
Jones' Stone, 204 
June, Theodore, kept boarding 

school for boys, 67 

Kearney, Edward, 199 

Keeler, John F.., attorney in Mead 

will case, 47, 48, 49 
Keenan, Patrick H., 199 
Kernan, I^'rancis, 174 
Keyser, John H., 200 
Kimmons, John, 187 
Kinmions, Richard, 187 
King, John T., 199 
King, Professor, 2(i4 
Kinney, {"'rancis, 199 
Kirk, Lewis J., 199 
Kirk])atrick, Thomas, 200 
Kna))]), (Miss) Amelia, 14, 289 
Knajip, Brush, 8, 13, 288, 289, 290 
Kna])]), Caleb, 300 
Kna])]), Israel, ])ro]ierty of, 95 
Kna])]), (.Miss) Martha, 289 
Kna})]), Nathaniel A., ]iroi)erty of, 

321 
Kna])]), Odlc C, 2.33, .321 
Koch, ,Fosc])h, 200 

I>addin's Rock Farm, 285 

Lafayette, General, 244 

Lafayette Place, 126, 129, 244, 246 

Lake Ayemie, 207 

Lawrence, Charles L., 200 

Lawrence, Rt. Rev. William, 
Bisho]) of Mass., decries use 
of stained windows, 65 

Leeds, J. W., 267 

Lrnn.r House. 20, 156, 244 



[838] 



INDEX 



Lewis, Beale N., 156; property of, 

156, 157 
Lewis, Rev. Dr. Isaac, 156, 346, 

247, 348; residence of, 118, 

154, 244, 245, 246, 248 
Lewis, (Mrs.) Elizabeth, widow of 

Rev. Dr. Lewis, 157 
Lewis, (Mrs.) Hannah, wife of 

Dr. Lewis, 247 
Lewis, (Miss) Mary Elizaljeth, 247 
Lewis, Roswell W.", 246 
Lewis, (Miss) Sarah, 247 
Lewis Street, 244, 245, 249, 286, 

288, 289 
Lewis, Zachariah, 246 
Lexinjjton Avenue, 8, 14 
Lincoln, Abraham, Pres. U. S. A., 

18, 35, 140, 144 
Lincoln Avenue, 8, 13 
Lincoln's Inn. so called, 242 
Linslev, Rev. Joel H., D.D., Pastor 

2nd Cong. Church, 105, 108, 

112, 133, 239 
Linvood 202, 219, 220, 222, 223 
Limrood. the vacht owned by Wni. 

>L Tweed, 202 
Lockwood, Benjamin, propertv of, 

23, 121 
Lockwood, (Miss) Harriette L., 

propertv of, 66 
Lockwood, i.uke A., 233, 282, 283 
Lockwood, Luke V., 267 
Lockwood, Oliver, grocery of, 23 
Lockwood, William F. H., prop- 
ertv of, 282, 283 
Lowe, Charles E., 200 
Long Island Sound, 153, 181, 183, 

188, 203, 263, 280, 282, 311; 

view of, 11, 14, 20, 32. 37, 91, 

99, 155, 158; Sound shore 

tract, 32 
Long, Serg. AVilliam, 137, 139 
Love Lane, 6, 16, 196, 197, 198, 286 
Lower Landing, 26 
Lyon, Augustus, 156, 259; property 

of, 253 
Lvon, Daniel, farm of, 27 
Lvon, Captain William L., 23, 122, 

123, 267; propertv of, 122, 288 
Ludlow Street Jail, 194, 219, 229, 

231 



Macgregor, Jameson, 199 
JVIaher, John, property of, 86, 91 
Alaher Avenue, 251 



Maine, soldiers from State of, 126 

Main Street, 17, 120 

Mallory, Charles, 28; propertv of, 

32 
Mallory, Henry R., 28 
Mamaroneck, 203 
Mann, Rev. Joel, ex-pastor of 

Second Cong. Church, 109 
Mann, Commodore Geo. E., 181, 

187, 199 
Mannion House, the, 156 
Maple Avenue, 98, 218, 250, 251 
Markets, Early, open only in the 

forenoon, 23 
Marks, Amasa A., 284 
Marks, George E., 285 
Marks, AVilliam L., 285 
Marrenner, Edward, 199 
Marshall, Drake, 137 
Marshall, Gilbert, residence of, 285 
Marshall, Henrv B., 6, 129 
Marshall, William, 137 
Marston, Edgar L., property of, 32 
Martin, Dr. Carl E., property of, 

154 
Mason, David. 246, 247, 248 
Mason Farm, the. 14, 15 
Mason, Jeremiah, 247 
Mason, Captain John, 280 
Mason, (Mrs.) Mary E., 244, 246, 

247 
Mason, Mvron L.. 235 
Mason, Dr. Theodore L., 14, 20, 

244, 247, -'48; farm of, 1 
Mason Street. 13. 14, 154, 244, 249, 

286, 288, 289 
Mavo. Captain Thomas. 36, 207, 324 
Mavo, (Mrs.) Rebecca R.. 36 
McCabe, Francis. 200 
McCann, Charles, 137 
McCann, John, 137 
McCord, William H., propertv of, 

323 
McCunn, John H., 167 
McCutcheon, James, 45 
McFadden, Parmelee J., estate of, 

96 
McGarigal. John, 199 
AIcGowan, James, 200 
McGowan, John T., 200 
McGuinness brothers, 218 
AIcMullen. William, 225; propertv 

of. 231 
McAIulIen. (Mrs.) Lydia G., 226; 

nropertv of, 225 
McXall, George G., 44 



[339] 



INDEX 



Mead, Dcacdii Ahraham, 38, 325, 

[i-2S 
Mead, Alexander. I()(i 
Mead, Alfred, J9,5 
Mead, Allen, 295, 296 
Mead. Alvaii. 8, 158, 259; i)ro])ertv 

of, l.JT 
Mead, Amos, 2i5 
Mead, Andrew, 92 
Mead, (Miss) Anna, 295 
Mead, Arthur I)., !()() 
Mead, .Viigiistus, '33 
Mead, Augustus, son of Isaac 

Mead, 38; farm of, 33 
Mead, Augustus^ son of X. B. 

Mead, 34; residence of, 226 
Mead, Augustus I., 34; j^roperty 

of, .3-'-' 
Mead, Judge Augustus, 35, 36 
Mead, E. Belcher, home of, 91 
Mead, Dr. lieverlev E., 336, 295 
Mead, Calel), 291,' 292 
Mead, Caleb, Jr., 291 
Mead, (Miss) Catherine, 226 
Mead, Charles, ;26; farm of, 310 
Mead, Charles X., 310 
Mead, (Miss) Clarissa, 105 
Mead, Cornelius, ])ropertv of, 388, 

291 
Mead, (Mrs.) Cornelia J., 90 
Mead, Major Daniel Merritt XVII, 
22; eai)tain of Co. I, 26, 130; 
sword ])resented to, 134-; ex- 
tracts from diary, 133; re- 
turns dying, 139; death and 
funeral of, 140 
Mead, (Mrs.) Daniel Merritt, 106 
Mead, Daniel S., 120, 259; property 

of, 117, 190, 257 
Mead. Daniel S., Jr., ])roj)ertv t)f, 

193 
Mead, Daniel Smith. 6 
Mead, D. Smith, 6, 246; farm of, 

1, 6, 322 
Mead, D. Smith, 2nd, 7 
Mead, Dr. Darius, 102, 248 
Mead, (Mrs.) Deborah, 79 
Mead, Drake. 26, 233 
Mead, CJeneral Ebene7er, sees Gen. 
Putnam esca])e from British, 
1779, 86 
Mead, Rev. Ebene/.er, half brother 

of Theodore H., 87 
Alead. Edmund, 295, 296 
Mead, Ednnuid, Jr.. 295 



Mead, i^ldward, home of, 226, 227, 

229, 230, 313 
Mead, (Mrs.) Edward, 105, 10(i 
Mead, Edwin, 7, 286; 5)ro])ert\- of, 

120 
Mead, Elkanah. administrator. Es- 
tate of Judge Mead, 36; home- 
stead of, 317 
Mead, (Mrs.) Elsie, 76 
Mead, (Miss) Emeline, 295 
Mead, (Miss) Eunice, 295 
Mead, Frederick, 102; property of, 

102, 154, 158, 159, 196, 197 
Mead, Hanford, 121 
Mead, (Miss) Hannah M., 106 
Mead, (Mrs.) Hannah, ])ro])ei-ty 

of. 96 
Mead. (Miss) Hannah R., 80; leg- 
acies of, 83 
Mead, Henry, 245; ]iro])erty of, 

244 
Mead, Henry, military funeral of, 

1.39 
^('ad'x Ilhton/. 306 
Mead, Isaac, 38, 326, 328 
Mead, Isaac Howe, farm of, 16, 

84, 310, 311, 312 
Mead, Isaac I-., 106, 246; building 

of, 20 
Mead, Irving, 295, 296 
Mead, (Mrs.) Jabez, 106 
Mead, James, 295 
Mead. Jared, projierty of, 154, 158, 

262, 263 
Mead, Jeremiah, 291, 292, 295 
Mead, Job, 76 
Mead, Deacon Jones, 27, 105; death 

of, 29; Estate of, 27, 29 
Mead, .Joshua, 96 
Mead, (Miss) Eaura, 295 
Mead, (Mrs.) Laura, 80 
Mead, Lot, 26 
Mead, (Miss) I^ouisa, 106 
Mead. (Mrs.) Lucy Mumford. 92, 

94 
Mead, (Miss) I>ydia, 295 
Mead, I>yman, part donator of 
sword, 134; homestead of, 
312 
Mead, Lyman, meadow, 60 
Mead, Matthew, 21 
Mead. Mark, 27, 29; i)roiierty of. 

32 
Mead, Mary Waring, pro]ierty of, 

>90 
^lead, Merwin, farm of, 14 



[3-tO] 



INDEX 



Mead, Milo, ^7, _'!), 30; held in es- 
teem by Danes, 3;? 

Mead, Xehemiah, Jr., -252; property 
of, 252 

Mead, Xelson B., 34, 3:^8; property 
of, 32i 

.Mead, Oliver, 2(i, 38, 183; conten- 
tion over will of, 43, 45, 46, 47, 
48, 49, 50, 51, 52; Estate of, 
41; farm of, 37; Errors, Su- 
jireme Court of, decides for 
perfect title to Oliver Mead 
farm, 45; last will and testa- 
ment of, 43, 43, 44, 46, 47, 51 

Mead, Oliver D., 43, 44, 117, 357 

Mead's Point, 310 

Mead, Richard, 73; homestead of, 
153 

Mead, Reuben, 395 

Mead, Robert William.s, 341; ad- 
vocates new church building, 
100; home and interests of, 
103; builds Second Cong. 
Church, 103 

Mead, (Miss) Samantha, 395 

:\Iead, Sanford, 307, 313, 314; Pres- 
ident Greenwich & Rye Steam- 
boat Company, 63; property 
of, 353 

Mead, Silas Merwin, 7; farm of, 1 

Mead, Solomon, 90. 96, 97, 198, 330, 
341, 346, 356, 359, 262, 365; 
early residence of, 98; later 
residence, 99; farm of, 98 

Mead, Spencer P., XVII 

Mead, Dr. Sylvester, 115 

Mead, Theodore H., characteristics 
of, 86, 88, 89; farm of, sold by 
order of Probate Court, 90; 
speculations of, 88, 89, 90; 
pro]ierty of, 16, 86, 333 

Mead, Theodore, 86 

Mead, Colonel Thomas A., 2, 16, 19, 
36, 77, 3.33, 346, 359, 363; home 
of, 153; loans to Tlieodore H., 
90; buys old Cong. Church 
building, 115; farm, 1, 15, 73, 
76 

Mead, Thomas R., military funeral 
of, 139 

Mead, Titus, 391; Town Treasurer, 
93; hill so called, 93; will of, 
93; property of, 1, 86, 93, 95, 
283 

Mead, Whitman S., 310 



Mead, Rev. William Cooper, D.D., 

L. L. D., 87 
Mead, William Henry, 366 
Mead, William J., 333 
Meadville, origin of, .30 
Mead, Zaccheus, 36; characteristics 

of, 78, 80; pi-operty of, 1, 

73, 74, 75, 77; pr divisions of 

will, 79 
Mead's Lane, Zaccheus, 15 
Mead, Zacciieus, 3nd, 76, 78, 359, 

363 
Mead, Zophar, 38, 106, 336; one of 

original settlers, 37 
Mechanic Street, 115 
Meeting House, the old, 154, 158 
]Menendez, J. M., projiertv of, 91 
."Slerritt, Caleb W.. farm' of, 318 
Merritt, Henry A., conditions gov- 
erning his purchase of dock 

property, 31 
Merritt, Joseph G., 197 
Merritt, John H., 33 
Merritt, (Mrs.) Lewis A., 106 
Metro]iolitan Museum of Art, site 

of, 178 
^lianus, 17, 26, 155 
]\Iianus River, streams that join, 

61 
Middle Patent, hills of. 61 
Milbank, 1,5. 91, 195, 303, 313 
Milbank Avenue, 196. 198, 377, 386; 

origin of name, 196 
Milbank, Jeremiah, 198; property 

of, 331 
Milbank, (Mrs.) Jeremiah, donates 

Town Clock, 196 
Milbank, Joseph, property of, 32 
Milk, present importations of, 27; 

shipments of, 36 
Miller, David, 300 
Miller, George S., 300 
Miller, James L., 199 
Mills. George H.. 106 
Mill Lane. 386 
Minor. Sheldon E., 44 
Mitchell, George H., 300 
Monakawaye, 380 
Morgan, Rev. Joseph, .300, 303; 

pastor in first house of wor- 
ship, 113 
Morrell, Simeon, 203 
^lorton House, 184 
Mosher, Isaac, property of, 225 
Mozart Hall, established by Mayor 

Wood, 163, 167 



[341] 



INDEX 



jMulbfrrv tree, old laiulmark on 
Greeinvirh Avenue, 137 

Miirrav, Rev. William H. H., liO, 
201, 212; l)irth and early days 
of, 141, 143; eharacteristies 
and life of, 141, 14^, 143, 144, 
147, 148, 149, LjO; delivers ad- 
dress of weleonie, 108, 109, 
110; jiastoratc at Greenwich, 
141 ; sermons and writings of, 
144, 145, 147, 148, 150, 151, 152, 
212; lectures in Ray's Hall, 
150 

Murray, (Mrs.) W. H. H., 141, 
144, 151 

Myanos River, 300 



Nast, Thomas, cartoonist for Har- 
pei-'s Weekh/, 171, 180, 221 

News Boys' Lodging House, estali- 
lishment of, 178 

New Haven, excursion on the John 
Rnmer to, 209, 210, 211 

New I>ebanon, docks at, 30, 31 j 
school district of, 31 ; Sage of, 
29 ; origin of name, 30 

Newman and Hewes, 17 

Newport, 205 

New York, Municipal and political 
affairs from 1834-1873, Kil, 
lfi2, l(i3, lfi5, l()fi, 167, 1(58, 169, 
170, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, 176, 
177, 178, 179 

Nichols, Milton C, property of, 88 

Nichols, (Mrs.) CJeorge E.", 250 

North Brother Island, 214 

North Castle, hills of, 61 

North Cos Col) Road, 317 

North Greenwich, 318 

Northport, 202 

North Street, 26, 94, 251, 288 

Norwalk, 203; horsecar line at, 269 

Norwalk Islands, visible from Solo- 
mon Mead iioinestead, 99 



O'Brien, James, 172, 200 
O'Brien, William K., 199 
O'Connor, Charles, 174, 229 
O'Connor, Chris., 200 
O'Donohue, Tlios. J., 200 
O'Gorman, Richard, 201 
Oak trees, The Oliver Mead, 41 
Ochre Point, 205 



Octagon House, the, 13, 286, 287, 

288 
Old Greenwich, 280 
Old Greenwich Point, 280 
Oliver, .lohn W., 201 
Oliver, Isaac J., 200 
Old Town, 280 
Osgood, George A., 200 
Opera House, 31 

Park Avenue, originally Tracy 

Street, 98 
Park Street Church, Boston, 212 
Parsonage Road, 27 
Patterson Avenue, 251, 253 
Palmer, George A., i)ropertv of, 

288 
Page, Benjamin, owner (1837) of 

Inn at Mianus Landing, 70, 71 
Parker, Dr. Edward O., 11; home- 
stead of, 158 
Parks, Archibald, 264 
Parlor cars, first used 1868. 273 
Patrick, Cajitain Daniel, 280, 281 
Peck, Benjamin, 21 
Peck, Klia's S., 23, 238 
Peck, (Mrs.) Isaac, 106 
Peck, Leon H., 306 
Peck, Obadiah, 157; property of, 

157, 158 
Peck, Theo])hilus, property of, 250 
Peck, Prof. Wm. Guy, residence of, 

155; estate of, 158 
Pentland, John, 200 
Pequot War, 1637, 281 
Perrj' Land, knoMii as, 253 
Phill'iiis, Arthur, 23 
Phillips, T. Augustus, 200 
Piatti, Dr. Virgil C, property of, 

20 
Pickford, John. Jr., 199 
PlUjrlm. the, 215 
Piiineo, Dr. T. S., 106; residence 

of, 121 
Pinneo, (Mrs.) T. S., 106 
Pijiing Brook, 12 
Pi]>ing Point, 26 
Piping Point Road, 117, 245 
Police Headquarters, 117 
Population, 1859, 25 
Port Chester, 27, 208, 211, 256; 

East, 27, 29, 30 
Post Road, 73, 74, 139, 154, 155, 

157, 226, 310, 313 
Post Offices, early, 25, 34, 35 
Potato cellars, old, 310 



[342] 



INDEX 



Potterv, made by Deacon Abraham 

Mead, 1790," 43 
Prescott Building, 118 
Presroiirt, owned by H. P. Whit- 
taker, 94 
Probate Court, initial judge of, 34; 

location of, 34, 36, 235 
Proprietors, original term applied 

to taxpayers 1725, 257 
Purdy, (Miss) Ann, establishes 

boarding school, 62 
Pumping station, the new, 54 
Putnam Avenue, 2, 17, 18, 20, 35, 

115, 120, 153, 198, 222, 233, 234, 

244, 267, 286, 288 
Putnam Cottage, 95, 98 
Putnam, General, 90, 244 
Putnam Hill. 86, 87, 153, 155, 218, 

248 
Putnam Terrace, 14 
Pyne, John, 200 

Radford, Stephen L., 2(i 

Radicals, Republicans called, 125 

Railroads, early, 266, 267, 268, 269, 

270, 273, 274, 275, 276, 277, 278, 

279 
RailM'ay stations, four in Green- 
wich, 25 
Randall's Island, orphan children 

from, visit Lin wood. 222 
Rav, George S., wheelwright, 93 
Read, Charles B., 74 
Read, Ephraim, 180; projiertv of, 

261 
Red Rock, 909 

Regattas, in Tweed's day, 203 
Reynolds, Abraham, 26 
Reynolds, Augustus N., 26 
Reynolds, (Mrs.) Augustus X., 106 
Reynolds, Gideon, 106 
Reynolds. Frank, V. R., house of, 

13, 14 
Reynolds, (Mrs.) William T., 106 
Riker's Island, 213 
Ritch, Thomas, 150; property of, 

219 
Ritch, (Mrs.) Thomas, 106 
Rivers, (Miss) Frances M., 151 
Riverside, 25, 280. 282 
Roads, ancient, 306, 307, 308, 310 
Rogers, William C, 200 
Round Hill, 37, 117 
Round Hill Farms Dairy, 129 
Robbins, George, 138 
Robbins, WilliaTu, 138 



Roche, Walter, 199 
Rockefeller Park, 8, 220 
Rockefeller, Percy A., property of, 

253 
Rockefeller, William G., property 

of, 253 
Rock Ridge, 73, 76; oldest house 

in, 78; appraised value of, 83; 

sale of, 84; becomes site of 

Fresh Air Home for children, 

85 
Rocky Xeck, 26, 117, 183, 190, 257, 

258, 323 

Rocky Xeck Company, the, 257, 

259, 260, 262, 265 

Rocky Xeck Point 1836, Map of, 

256 
Rocky Point, 184 
Rockwood Lake, 65 
Root, Elihu, iunior counsel for 

Wm. M. Tweed, 219 
Rosevelt, George W., 199 
Roslyn, 213 
Round Island, 111, 180, 182, 183, 

256; potato cellar on, 83, 

182, 262; owned by Oliver 

Mead, 41 ; proposed purchase 

by Town of, 44 
Round Hill, 288, 318, 319, 320, 321 
Runyan, (Mrs.) Fanny, 263, 264 
Rural free delivery, before days 

of, 25 
Russell, Joseph E., 93 
Russell, (Mrs.) Joseph E., 106 
Ryan. James, 200 
Rye Beach, 63 



Sackett. (Mrs.) Anna. 253 
Sackett, Henry, farm of. 274 
Sackett. Justus, 252 
Sackett, Justus. Jr., 253 
Sackett, Justus Ralpn, 254 
Sackett, William H., 253 
Sand's Point, 263 
Sanitary Commission, has branch 

in Greenwich, 138 
Sarah Thorp, the, 215 
Satterlee, John, 200 
Sawpits, 256 
Sayles, Solomon, 200 
Schaffer, Christian W., 199 
Schaffer, John, 138 
Schaffer, Eouis. 138 
Schaffer, William H., 199 
Schifferdecker, Henry, 305 



[343] 



IXDEX 



Scliirmcr, Dr. William. .'()(), 202 
Shi])yar(l, tlic I'aiiner & Duff, 316 
Sc-liiivlcr, Robert, Pros. Xew Haven 

i{. K., ;.'()() 
Scofieid, (.Miss) Kii/.a J., lOfi 
Scofield, Cieorge \\., 11.5 
Seofield, William, 1 i<) 
Scott, Joiin, 19!) 
Sfott, Henrv, 138 
Scott, Warren, 138 
Sea Cliff, 212, 213 
Seaman, Charles H., 134, 341 
Seaman, (Mrs.) Ciiaries H., lOfi 
Second Congregational Church, 27, 

144, 159, 196, 19T, 211, 250; 

anni^■ersaries of, 100, 107; 

Com])any I assembles in, 133; 

meniber.s of, 38, 41, 80. lO.S, 

134, 211; present edifice l)uilt 

185(), 100; remodelled 1900, 

102 
Secor, Theodocius F., 207 
Selectmen, offices of, 233, 235, 236 
Selmes, Reeves E., 200 
Semloh Farm, 66 
Senawave Indians, 281 
Sr<nr(,ii)i(ik(i. the, 212. 213, 214, 215 
Sevniour, (Miss) Susan, property 

of, 157 
Shandlev, Edward J., 199 
ShandleV. Michael J.. 200 
Shannon, Joseph. 199 
Sharp. Jacob, 200 
Shepard, Frank, 220 
Shee]) Pen, 15, 16 
Slierman. Roger Minot. attorney in 

Davis' Dock suit, 71 
Siierwood, Aaron, 138 
Sherwood, John, 138 
Sherwood, Stephen, 115 
Sherwood. (Mrs.) William B., 106 
Sherwood's Bridge, 244 
Sherw()(Kl Place, 18, 19. 115, 233, 

234 
Ship))ing, ]ioints of, 26 
Shook, Sheridan, 199 
Sidewalks, absence of, 24 
Silleck, Eli)ert A., 256 
Silleck, (Mrs.) Elbert A., 263 
Silleck, George, 241 
Silleck House. 262, 263, 265 
Silleck, Thaddeus. 263, 264 
Sillick, Stephen, 115 
Simons. Thomas, 258 
Skating Pond, old, 12 
Slavery, extant in Comi. 1815, 253 



Slosson. l-'.dward. 102 

Slosson, (.Mrs.) Annie 'I'urnbuH. 
102 

wSmitii, Daniel, (i; property of, 257 

Smith, CJeorge Jackson, 234 

Smith, Henry, 199 

Smith. .John. j)ropert\' of, 257 

Smith, William J., 134, 193 

Sniffin, John, homestead of, 251, 
252, 253, 254, 255 

Soldiers' Monument, 133, 233 

Sound Beach, 26, 280, 281, 284, 
285 

South worth, Joseph, 199 

Spader, John D., 258 

Si)ring, the old, 118 

Stamford, 63, 256, 282 

Stamford Savings Bank, 2()8 

Stanwich, 37, 117; location of, 64; 
old church at, 65, 66; old de- 
bating clubs of, 67; tanning 
industry in, 66; East, name ap- 
])lied imj)roperly to Stanwich 
Center, 67 

StaniHch Inn, the, 65 

Stanwich Road, the, 291 

Staten Island, 218 

Steward, D. Jackson, 102 

Stillson Benevolent Society, origin 
of name, 246 

Stillson, (Miss) Elizabeth, death 
of. 246 

Stonvbrotike. 291 

Stonington, 263 

Stoothoff, Stejihen A., 13 

Stores, early, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 
23, 24 ■ 

Stoves, first used in church 1818, 
112 

Streets, imlighted, 24 

Strong, William L., Mayor of New 
York, 179 

Studwell, Capt. Charles, party to 
suit over Davis' Dock owner- 
ship, 70, 71 

Sturtevant, Newell. 200 

Stymus, William P., 199 

Sunday, early observance of, 37, 
159, 160 ' 

Sunken Meadows, the so called, 215 

Sweeny, Peter B., 167, 169 

Talbot, Robert, 23; descendants of, 
24 

Talbot, William. 33; descendants 

of. 24 



[344] 



INDEX 



Tarrytown, 2'M 

Taylor, Alexander, Jr., 321 

Taylor, Rev. Charles F., installed 

as }iastor, 111 
Tavlor, Robert M., 199 
Ta'ylor, W. B., 26i 
Tammnny Hall, early history of, 

16-',' 165, 167, 168, 17:2, 177 
Teed, Wni. H., tract so called, 

94 
Ten Acres, mill site at, 87; skating 

]iond, 87 
Th()iM])son, (Mrs.) Amy K., 96 
T]i()ni])son, (Miss) Caroline, 96 
Tiionijtson, (Miss) Cornelia, 96 
Tii()ni)>s()n, (Miss) Harriet, 96 
Thoni]is<>n, James, 96 
Throggs' Neck, 213 
Tiers, WiUiam M., 7, \2\; home 

of, 8 
Tilden, Samuel J., 17-t, 175, 176 
Tillott, Peter, ]M-opertv of, 157 
Tingne, William J., 28, 31 
Tod, J. Kennedy, 280 
Tod, William Stewart, )iropcrt\ of, 

320 
Todd, Rev. Abraham, 250, 251, 252; 

residence of, 251, 252, 253 
Toll Gate Hill, 153, 155 
Town Building, original, 36 
Town Clerk, office of, 155, 235 
Town Clock, donated bv Mrs. Jere- 
miah Milbank, 196 
Town Hall, old, 233; used as ren- 
dezvous for Coni]ianv I, 133; 
new, built 1906, 239 
Town offices, old, 19 
Tracy, Hezekiah, ))roperty of, 98 
Tracy, John Jay, property of, 98 
Tracy Street, origin of name, 98 
Trainer, Peter, 200 
Tripler, Thomas E., 200 
Trolley cars, first run in 1901, 266 
Truesdale, William H., property 

of, 311 
Truml)le, "Billy," 239, 240, 241, 242 
Tuthill, Oscar, property of, 129 
Tuthill Building, 233 
Tweed, (Miarles, 219 
Tweed, CJeorge, 219 
Tweed's Island, 182, 184 
Tweed, (Miss) Jennie, 218 
Tweed, (Miss) Josephine, 218 
Tweed, (Mrs.) Mary Jane, 195, 198, 
220 



Tweed, Marij Jane, vacht owned bv 
Wm. M." Tweed,' 202, 203, 204 ' 

Tweed Price, origin of saying; pur- 
chase of Mead acres by Tweed, 
197 

Tweed, Richard, 218 

Tweed, Wm. M., 63, 86, 199, 202, 
203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 208, 209, 
212, 217, 218, 219, 221, 222, 223, 
225, 226, 227, 228, 229, 230, 231 ; 
life' and characteristics of, 161, 
165, 166, 167, 168, 169, 170, 171,. 
172, 173, 175, 176, 177, 178, 179, 
180, 181, 182, 18,3, 184, 187, 188, 
189, 190, 193, 194, 195, 196, 197, 
198, 199; trial of, 1883, 161, 
176, 177; escape of, 177; 
property of, 257 

Tweed, Wm". M., Jr., 217, 221 

Underbill, Captain John, 280 
U]i]ier Landing, 17 

\'alentine. Captain, 303 
\'aluation, re])resented by taxation 

in 1859, 25 
Van Arsdale, P. B., 181, 187, 199 
Van Brunt, George B., 201 
Vanderbeck, Francis, 199 
\'anderbeck, John, 199 
^'an Tassell, William, 200 
Voorhis, John, homestead of, \^.\ 

2G7 



Wallace, William H., 276, 277 

Walls, ancient stone, 76 

Wall Street, Greenwich investors 

in, 123 
Walsh, Judge James F., 2, 236 
Walsh, Judge R. Jay, 45, 236 
War Democrats, favor abolition, 

125 
Waterbury, Geo. P.. property of, 

291 
Watson, James, 199 
Watson, James S., 200 
Webb, Henry, projierty of, 91 
Webster, Daniel, 247 
Weed, Isaac, 7; Postmaster to 

1831, 35; property of, 8, 121 
Weed, Jacob T., 287; property of, 

287 
Weed, Linus, store of, 19 
Welch, John D., Jr., 200 
Wellner, George, 14 
Wellst(K)d, John G., 264, 268 

[345] 



INDEX 



W'fsl StiH'ct, tlu' (liri'i'l roail to 
Bt'dford from the Borough, (ii 

Wheeler, William A., Viee-Pres. U. 
8. A., JO!) 

White BridfTf. the old, .>t; inoncy 
foiiiul ill, jS); rendezvous of 
crab lumtcrs, (iO; removed 
about ISSd, j7; the robbery at, 
58; wreek jireveuted at, 187(), 
(iO 

White House, the, (see also Silleck 
House), ^62, Jdi 

White, Captain, Stephen G., 208, 
209, 2V.i 

AVhite, Stephen G., 217; part 
donator of sword, 134 

White, (Mrs.) Stephen G., 106 

White, Warren P., 208 

Whitney, Charles A., 264, 268 

AVhittaker, H. P., projierty of, 94 

Williamsbridge, first terminus of 
H. R. R., 269 

Williams, Henry M., 201 

MMUiamson, Ro'bert, 195 

Wills, Charles T., 261 

Wilson, John, 138 

Wilson, R. R., writings of, 161 

Wilson, Thomas, 138 

Winants, Daniel, 200 



Winthrop, .lohn, Gosernor of 

Mass., 1630, 280 
Witherell, Nathaniel, 80, 83, 324; 

becomes owner of UoeU Hidge, 

84 
Witherell, (.Mrs.) Nathaniel, 158 
Witherwax, Pilot Billv, 208, 209, 

210, 213, 214, 215 
AVolf. George G., 200 
Wood, .\lbert H., 201 
Wood, Fernando, Mayor of New 

York 1854, 162 
Woodward, Elbirt A., 200 
Woolsey, ,\aron, 7, 286; projjerty 

of,' 288 
Working Girls' Vaeation Society, 

recreation home of, 85 
Wright, Lieut. Benjamin, 18, 106, 

137 
Wright, (Mrs.) Benjamin, 106 
Wright, Charles H.,"276, 277 
Wright, I'^dward J., 236 
Wright, Wilbur S., property of, 

322 

Yard, Wesley S., 199 

Young, ,Tosej)h B., 199 

Young, Thomas, tract so called, 

94 
Y. M. C. A. Building, the, 158 



[346] 



MAY 24 1913 



